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UNDER HIS WINGS 



A SKETCH OF THE LIFE 

♦ / 

ROBERT LINDLEY MURRAY. 



Ay 



u Happy the souls to Jesus joined, 

And saved by grace alone ; 
Walking in all his ways, they find 

Their heaven on earth begun. 
The church triumphant in thy love, 

Their mighty joys we know ; 
They sing the Lamb in hymns above, 

And we in hymns below." 



NEW YORK: 
ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH & COMPANY, 

770 BROADWAY. 
1876. 




r14S> 






COPYRIGHT, 1876, BY 

Anson D. F. Randolph & Co. 




TO 



THE CHILDREN OF HIS LOVE, 

FOR WHOM 

HIS PRAYERS ASCENDED WITH EARNESTNESS AND FAITH, 



t^his Book i$ Betlioatetl ; 



WITH THE DESIRE, 

THAT THEY MAY KNOW THE GOD OF THEIR FATHER, AND REDEEMED 

BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, MAY SERVE HIM WITH A 

PERFECT HEART AND A WILLING MIND, 

AND 

FIND IN LIFE, AND IN DEATH, A PERFECT SHELTER 

"UNDER HIS WINGS." 



CHAPTER I. 

/"\NE life, only one; — and this of itself nothing, 
^^^ because lost in Christ. Its story can only be 
of thankfulness because upheld and sanctified in Him ; 
and its narrative has no interest to others, except as 
it gives expression to the "old, old story" of His 
exceeding love ; and yet it has its grandeur, because 
it portrays the life of one kept by the power of God. 
And this, if true to itself, would be the account of 
one early called by the Lord, who in simple-hearted 
dedication consecrated himself in loving allegiance 
to the Master, and manifested during his life the pic- 
ture of the Christian gentleman. 

In joy and in sorrow, an all-sufficient Saviour was 
ever near ; and leaning on Him, he realized in a 
remarkable degree the fulfilment of the promise, 
" Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is 
staid on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee." 

" Safe in the arms of Jesus," 

He passed through life's pilgrimage, and now from 
" over the jasper sea," comes with double force to 



IO UNDER HIS WINGS. 

those still on this side of the river, the lines he loved 
in his humility to repeat : 

* O ! if -there 's only one song I can sing, 
When in His beauty I see the great King, . 
This shall my song in eternity be, 
O ! what a wonder, that Jesus loves me ! " 

Robert Lindley Murray, son of Robert I. and 
Elizabeth Colden Murray, was born in New York, 
the 9th of nth month, 1825. 

His mother was the great-granddaughter of Cad- 
wallader Colden, the last Colonial Governor of New 
York. His father was a prominent citizen of New 
York, actively interested in the philanthropic efforts 
of the day. 

The following notice of this gentleman appeared in 
one of the city papers after his decease : 

" He was a man of strongly marked character, his intellect 
clear and vigorous, and his memory astonishing. He belonged 
to a class of men rapidly passing away — men of active 
benevolence, of conservative and firm patriotism, and intelli- 
gent devotion to the real necessities of his fellow-men. His 
loss cannot easily be repaired." 

The old homestead on Murray Hill, where Robert 
I. Murray was born, was the scene of many historic 
events, of which one only will be mentioned. 

After losing the battle of Brooklyn Heights, 
Washington fell back on the country north of Harlem. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 1 1 

On the 15th of 9th month, 1776, Sir Wra. Howe, the 
Commander-in-Chief of the British forces, with Clin- 
ton and Tryon crossed Kip's Bay and occupied New 
York. Washington not being able to ascertain the 
intentions of the English with regard to the city, had 
dispatched Nathan Hale to find out what they were 
doing on Long Island, giving orders to Putnam, who 
occupied New York with a division of the patriot 
army, to remain where he was until further orders. 
But his videttes coming in with news that the British 
were crossing over, Putnam gave instant orders to 
march north, to rejoin Washington, by the Middle 
Road. Sir William Howe struck the King's Bridge 
Road and was hastening to intercept the flying rebels, 
which he could readily have done as he had some 
time the start of them. 

Where the King's Bridge Road touched the hedges 
of the Murray gardens, stood the mistress of the 
mansion and her young daughters, waiting to welcome 
the gallant general. The lady was well-known to 
Sir William, although her Whig principles were not, 
and her courteous invitation to alight and partake of 
refreshments was received without a suspicion of 
the motive that suggested it. He thanked her 
graciously, but replied that he must hasten in 
pursuit of the rebel Putnam and his men. She 
represented to him the miserable condition of the 
patriot army, and the readiness with which he could 



I2 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

overtake them, especially if fortified by rest and 
refreshment. 

Moved by her representations, and secure of over- 
taking the demoralized army, the Englishman could 
no longer resist the offer of the ladies' good cheer, 
and with his generals and staff dismounted, while 
Putnam stealthily reached McComb's Dam by the 
Bloomingdale Road, only wondering what had be- 
come of his enemy, and with no confidence in his safety 
from a surprise, until he saw the white tents of Wash- 
ington's encampment. General Howe, when too late, 
discovered his mistake, but never questioned the 
intentions of the lady whose hospitality had lost for 
him a sure victory, and saved to the cause she loved 
one of its noblest officers. 

Robert Murray imported one of the first carriages 
or coaches used in New York. The citizens were 
much averse to this innovation, and spoke of it openly 
as an evidence of aristocratic pride. To allay this 
feeling, he always called it his u leathern conveniency. ,, 

This gentleman dying in 1786, left two sons, Lindley 
Murray, the grammarian, who married, and afterwards 
settled in England, and John Murray, Jr., the grand- 
father of the subject of this memoir. The latter 
married Catharine Bowne, a descendant of John 
Bowne, one of the original settlers of Long Island. 
This gentleman's life and experience influenced in a 
considerable degree the future policy of the country 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 1 3 

in regard to religious freedom. He had joined the 
society of Friends or Quakers, and in consequence 
fell under the displeasure of the authorities. He was 
arrested by the "Scout" with a company of armed 
men, and cast into a loathsome dungeon in New 
Amsterdam, where " he was kept very long and 
well-nigh famished to death," his family being for- 
bidden to visit him. The Governor finding the 
punishment ineffectual to reduce the prisoner to sub- 
mission, determined to enforce the threat of banish- 
ment. He was accordingly placed on board a Dutch 
vessel and conveyed to Holland. Here he prepared 
an appeal to the Home Government which adminis- 
tered a stern rebuke to Governor Stuyvesant. 

In 1663 John Bowne returned to America, bearing 
this memorable letter from the Dutch authorities 
re-establishing tolerance in religious opinions: " The 
consciences of men ought to be free and unshackled, 
so long as they continue moderate, peaceable, inoffen- 
sive, and not hostile to government. Such have been 
the maxims of prudence and toleration by which the 
magistrates of this City, Amsterdam, have been gov- 
erned, and the consequences have been that the 
oppressed and persecuted from every country have 
found among us an asylum from distress. Follow in 
the same steps, and you will be blessed." 

The effect of this enlightened policy transmitted 
by the Home Government, was to establish religious 



I4 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

liberty in the colony, and while New England was 
burning witches, and torturing Quakers, New Nether- 
lands received every one within its limits, of whatever 
creed or name. 

Of John Murray, Jr., so many of whose estimable 
traits were largely inherited by his grandson, it was 
well said by a contemporary, " His delight was to 
remember the forgotten, to attend to the neglected, 
and to visit the forsaken/' 

A resident of New York at the present day can 
scarcely realize that the house in Cliff Street in 
which the subject of this memoir was born, was at that 
time in the pleasantest part of the city. Filled with 
home-like residences, whose inmates lived on terms 
of social freedom, the claims of business had not 
then turned the lower part of New York into a 
great mart for trade. Here the infancy of Robert 
Lindley Murray was spent, and until he was three 
years old, no cloud darkened his life. Then a sad 
change came suddenly upon the family : two of 
the children were seized with a malignant fever, and 
died from its effects. The mother, overcome with 
grief and watching, fell a victim to the same disease, 
and the three were buried in one grave. The little 
boy so early deprived of a mother's watchfulness, 
was tenderly cared for, and when he was five years 
of age, her place was supplied to him by the mar- 
riage of his father to Hannah Shotwell, of New 



UNDER HIS WINGS. i 5 

York. He never knew what it was to miss a 
mother's tenderness, and the tie existing between 
step-mother and son was equally strong on the part 
of both. She watched over his boyhood and youth 
with loving fondness, and in return, it was his delight 
in manhood to minister to her comfort and smooth 
her path in her declining years. 

As a child he was very attractive ; his flaxen hair 
hung in long curls, while his clear complexion and 
soft blue eyes, with the winning smile which seldom 
left his faee, formed a pleasing picture. His disposi- 
tion was so gentle and amiable that even in childhood 
his mother never heard him speak an unkind word 
to his brother, or knew of any quarrel between them. 
Yet this was not in consequence of a sluggish dispo- 
sition ; for no one was more ready for boyish sports, 
or more unwearied in their pursuit. Naturally fear- 
less and daring, he was among the first to join in any 
enterprise which might be suggested, while the un- 
wearied energy which distinguished his character in 
after life, found vent in athletic sports and games. 

One incident in his child life shows his disposi- 
tion. He had stopped his hoop to watch the men 
excavating a cellar for a large house near his father's, 
watching eagerly the horses and carts, as load after 
load of gravel was taken away. One of the drivers 
disposed to tease the boy, threw some of the sand 
upon him every time he passed. At first the little 



1 6 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

fellow brushed it away, but the repeated offence 
became troublesome, — what could be done? He was 
interested in the scene, and did not like to leave, ~but 
this sand bath w r as very annoying. 

At last a bright idea occurred to him, and running 
into the house, he begged his mother to give him 
some pears. A basket full of choice ones had been 
sent to his father, and noticing his eagerness, she 
gave him two. Feeling some curiosity to know what 
he wanted to do with them, she looked from the 
window to watch his actions. 

He waited quietly till his tormentor came near, 
then running up to him, put the pears in his hand, 
and went back to his hoop. The man looked as- 
tonished, but it is hardly necessary to add, threw no 
more sand on the little peacemaker. In the Spring oi 
1838, he entered Haverford College, in Pennsylvania, 
and there, as in his other schools, he soon made 
warm friends. 

Winning and attractive* in his demeanor and 
friendly to all, still his character was so pure and 
simple, that his intimate associates were always of the 
best class. He seemed to have no affinity for evil, 
and schemes for deceiving or disturbing the teachers 
found no abettor in him. His progress in his studies 
was commendable, his order list unsullied, and the 
time of his sojourn there was a season of enjoyment 
to his teachers and himself. 



UXDER HIS WINGS. \j 

But his constitution was not vigorous, and the 
close application to study brought on such an aggra- 
vated form of dyspepsia, that he was obliged to 
return home in the Fall of 1840, and the phyicians 
forbade his resuming btis studies. Country life was 
prescribed, and he spent the next year at Colden- 
ham, the old home of the family, where one of his 
sisters then resided. 

Refreshed and strengthened by the pure air, and 
the quiet of a rural life, the distressing symptoms 
were removed, though for two or three years he was 
unable to engage in any mercantile pursuit. 

During this period 

" Life went a Maying, 
With Nature, Hope, and Poesy .'* 

And in the enjoyment of his books, and agreeable 
associates, his bark drifted easily along life's stream. 

His own letters give a picture of his life at this 
time. 

7 mo., 30, 1843. Soon after the receipt of thy last I for- 
sook the " dim and treeless town," and posted direct to Col- 
denham, when father, mother, sister C and self, started for a 
little visit to our Dutch cousins in Ulster and Dutchess 
* counties. It was an exceedingly pleasant cruise, there is so 
much unsophisticated hospitality among them, and being in 
a private conveyance we made a complete circuit of all our 
friends. When it happened there was nothing particularly 
interesting to me, and the rest were seeing the old folks, I 
would scour the country on horseback. 



1 8 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

After our excursion, which proved to all a very pleasant 
one, I am once more quietly ensconced at Coldenham, a very 
pleasant place ; situated as it is between two ranges of hills, 
there is almost always a delightful air. 

" As if from Heaven's open gate did flow 
Health and refreshment on the world below." 

The season has been so exceedingly dry that the garden 
is completely scorched up, " son regne d' un jour est passe," 
yet there are other sources of enjoyment, other " visible 
things," with which the lover of nature may hold com- 
munion. 

The giants of the wood are still capable of rearing their 
heads, and affording a delightful shade, which in this fiery 
July weather is exceedingly acceptable. I often partake of 
it, seated on the ground, and listening to the " wood notes 
wild." I have also perpetrated considerable horseback-rid- 
ing, and yet in all these things I am sadly in need of a com- 
panion ; riding alone is but half a pleasure. I know it has 
been said, 

" There is society where none intrudes," 

but I am not prepared to unite therein. 

ii mo., 1843. We have just established a new society, 
which we dignify by the name of a Literary one, and on ac- 
count of the smallness of our number, a considerable amount 
of service is required from each member. 

We style our body the Fraternal Club ; how does that do 
to begin with ? Something brilliant thou expects from that ! 
But to say the least of us, we are a very affectionate and 
loving band, and all is conducted with harmony and order. 
Perhaps, however, thy opinion of the Band Illustrious will 
be somewhat lessened, when I inform thee that at their elec- 



UNDER HIS WIXGS. 



19 



tion for officers, they chose for president thy worthy scrib- 
bler. 

But more of this if I find time and room. I will now 
hasten to give thee the news which is at present uppermost 
in my own mind, which is the safe arrival of our long looked- 
for brother. 

We had been expecting him for some time, when we saw 
an account in the paper of the total wreck of the vessel in 
which we hoped he would arrive, but that the passengers 
were safe at Havana, to sail the next day for New York. 

He made his appearance yesterday afternoon, and says, 
they were wrecked three days after leaving South America. 
He, as well as most of them, lost everything they had on 
board — clothes, and all his valuable papers; they had but 
one boat, which could only take nine, so after constructing a 
raft, the balance, four, shipped upon that, having first divided 
their scanty supply of provisions and water ; these four have 
not been heard from. 

To add to their trouble, the captain was sick, so that D. 
officiated in his stead, being pilot and captain at the same 
time. Shaping his course for Honduras, in the middle of 
the night, they crossed a reef of rocks, in imminent danger 
of being dashed to pieces ; indeed it was considered a mira- 
cle that they were not. After being thus tossed about 
in their little boat, nine days and nights, and having ex- 
hausted all their provisions and water, the allowance of 
which had been two biscuits and some gills per diem, they 
at length reached Balize. Here he procured some clothing, 
and started again in the " Charles Hammond " for New 
York. This vessel, too, was wrecked, and they put into 
Havana in distress. After remaining here two or three days, 
they started once more, but again they were driven in all di- 
rections but the right one. About three weeks ago, they were 
within a few miles of the city, then were driven off as far as 



2o UNDER HIS WINGS. 

Montauk Point, tried to get into the Sound, but could not 
succeed ; but in a few days found themselves at the Capes of 
the Delaware. Here, however, they were so fortunate as to 
fall in with a pilot-boat, into which D. entered, and was glad 
to be set down at Cape May. This, though not New York, 
was at least (i terra firma," and steamboats and railroads 
were preferable to a sailing craft. 

Please excuse this long story; thou knows I generally 
write what is uppermost in my own thoughts, not considering 
what is interesting to my correspondent. But, indeed, a 
letter should be a map of one's own feelings at the time of 
waiting, whether it be in a mood for wisdom, for sentiment, 
for gravity, or gaiety, for news or for secrets. 

I cannot unite with the opinion of Dr. Johnson, that "to 
write a letter without affection, without wisdom, without 
gaiety, without news, and without a secret, is doubtless the 
epistolic art." 



CHAPTER II. 

rpHE year 1845 was always marked with a white 
stone in his memory, as in it he realized the 
fulfilment of a promise made by his father, that he 
would some day take him to Europe. With his 
buoyant temperament, and freedom from care, he 
entered fully into the enjoyment of the grand and 
beautiful, and his journal regularly kept, gives a 
graphic picture of the varying scenes which met his 
e)^e. 

Some extracts will be given as portraying the zest 
of his pleasure, though as he himself said of it in after 
years, " some allowance must be made for many things ; 
my views and sentiments upon some subjects have 
changed since then, and even my present, sober self, 
has been constrained to laugh most heartily at what 
was then penned amid intense excitement and the 
enthusiasm of the moment." 

2d mo., 6, 1845. Embarked this day on board Packet 
Ship St. Nicholas, for Havre, took leave of the last of our 
friends who had accompanied us in the steamboat to the 
Lower Bay at eleven o'clock, and in an hour and a half were 

(21) 



22 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

outside of the Hook, and bidding adieu to our pilot, severing, 
as it seemed, the last link that connected us with home. 

How checkered are the feelings of one departing thus; 
what a strange commingling of hope and joy, of sorrow and 
fear, hope in the prospect of pleasure in store, joy in the 
anticipation thereof; but on the other hand, sorrow and regret, 
yea, agony at parting from our friends, fear too at the abyss 
of time which is to separate them from us, months at least, 
years perhaps, perhaps from some, forever, and it is at a time 
like this that the truth of those lines of E. Barrett may be 
exemplified : " Though the Universe be broad, two little 
tears suffice to cover all." 

After a short voyage for a packet ship, they landed 
at Havre on the 26th, and soon proceeded to Paris, 
afterwards through the south of France, and thence 
by steamer to Genoa and Leghorn. 

His youthful enthusiasm breaks forth on reaching 
Italy. 

2>d mo., 15th. " O Italy, how beautiful thou art!" 
Scarce had we landed at Leghorn this morning, when the 
clouds began to break, and when we started for Florence 
about two o'clock, a bright sun made glad our hearts, so that 
I was in a measure enabled to realize that a land rich in 
intellectual pleasure was before me, and as our voiture jogged 
steadily onward, towards evening I gazed with delight upon 
a beautiful sunset, at the "gorgeous drapery " flung around 
the departing monarch, and watched with rapture till all was 
lost in darkness. I will not say I have not seen sunsets as 
fine at home, in fact it was an American sunset, but it was 
the first I had seen since leaving, and it brought home to 
mind. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 23 

i6t/i. " Of all the fairest cities of the earth 

None are so fair as Florence." 

" Tis the past 
Contending with the present, and in turn 
Each has the mastery." 

Here Galileo studied, here have labored the Raphaels, the 
Buonarottis, the Giottos, the Arnolfas, and from the city and 
its enchanting environs did Dante and Milton draw inspira- 
tion, while its stately palaces and monuments of art justly 
entitle it to the appellation, " la Bella." 

17//L Spent most of the morning in the Imperial Gallery. 
It is crowded with the gems of art, and it seemed sacrilegious 
to hurry through it as we were obliged to. I was rather 
disappointed in the countenance of the statue, the praises of 
w r hich are sounded to the ends of the earth — the Venus di 
Medici ; it lacked the spiritual expression I had hoped 
to find, nor even did it seem to breathe like the production 
of our own back-woodsman — the lovely Eve of Powers. 

We visited to-day the Church of Santa Croce, principally 
interesting to me from containing the tomb of Michael 
Angelo. The urn is surrounded by three beautiful statues 
— Sculpture, Painting, and Architecture, weeping for their 
departed champion, the whole surmounted by a bust of 
himself. 

Adjoining the Pitti Gallery, is a very extensive museum, in 
one apartment of which I could linger for hours ; this is a 
splendid temple erected to the honor of the Tuscan philoso- 
pher. The room is beautifully adorned, and contains a 
statue of Galileo, while the walls are covered with paintings 
illustrating passages in his life, and the instruments with 
which his discoveries were made, contained in cases ; there 
was, however, one relic which certainly was not to my taste 
— the actual finger preserved in a glass vase. 



24 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



\%th. While the rest of the company were preparing for 
breakfast, I went out to take a last lingering look at the beau- 
tiful bronze doors of the Baptistry, concerning which M. 
Angelo said, " They are worthy to be the gates of paradise," 
and to stand upon the venerated stone upon which the Italian 
bard used to love to sit and muse. It was one of the vases 
or basins in this Baptistry that Dante tells us he broke : 

" One of the stones I broke some years ago 
To save a drowning child ; be this my word 
A seat, the motive of my deed to show." 

I looked for the fragment, but could not find it ; doubtless 
it had been removed. The Duomo, the Baptistry, and the 
Campanile are all together as in Pisa, and form a most 
imposing group. In the Duomo is a beautiful full-length 
portrait of Dante and some fine sculpture ; the tower is 
higher than the one in Pisa, and commands a magnificent 
view of " la bella Firenze " and its lovely environs. 

While father was performing his regular after-breakfast 
routine, I stole another hour for the Imperial Gallery, spend- 
ing it in, to me, the most attractive apartment — the Tribune. 
The Venus improves greatly upon acquaintance, yet there is 
a statue of Apollo in the same room, and from the style, 
apparently executed by the same artist, which in spite of the 
world I could not help admiring as much. After this, went 
to visit the house of Michael Angelo, but I was very much 
disappointed at not being able to gain admission. It con- 
tains several of his works with his instruments and other 
relics in his studio. 

Rome, $d month, 20th. We have spent thirty-seven hours 
on the way from Florence to Rome — rather a long while to 
occupy the same seat ; but the splendid scenery of the 
Appenines, among and on the tops of which we were for the 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



25 



most of the time, fully entertained and delighted us through 
the day, and at night we slept, as much at least as a very 
hard seat and a jolting vehicle would allow. 

The tourist of the present day will smile at the 
thought of a long ride by diligence between Florence 
and Rome, when the distance can now be so comfort- 
ably accomplished by railroad. 

Nothing daunted, however, by the fatigue, an early 
visit was made to St. Peter's, where the ceremonies 
of Holy Week added interest to the venerable pile. 
He says : 

I was utterly bewildered with its immensity and grandeur. 
It is a mass-meeting of magnificence of every kind concen- 
trated under one roof. 

The famous " Miserere " was to be performed in the Sistine 
Chapel in the afternoon ; we stood in the crowd for half an 
hour awaiting the opening of the chapel door, which done, 
the mass poured in as fast as the Swiss guard would allow 
them. It was an hour before the service commenced, which, 
however, to me passed quickly, with M. Angelo's Last Judg- 
ment directly before me, and his equally fine frescoes on 
the ceiling above. 

Fifteen candles were burning in a pyramid near the altar, 
representing the prophets and Saviour. Now the choir pour 
forth the mournful notes of the "Tenebrae," so called, as it 
used to be sung at midnight ; this continued for an. hour and 
three-quarters, but we were rivetted to the spot ; the candles 
one by one were put out, and finally the last one extinguish- 
ed — suddenly the " Miserere " commenced ; it was a sweet, 
clear, and thrilling harmony, and all were breathless while it 
lasted for half an hour. It had kept us standing four hours 
2 



2 6 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

and a half, which, for those who had already been so the 
rest of the day, and without rest the two preceding nights ? 
was no inconsiderable thing, yet in my delight I forgot it 
all, and went home rejoiced that I had been there. 

21st. Longing as I have done ever since we have been 
in Rome to gaze upon the monuments of her ancient gran- 
deur, I could delay no longer, but have visited the Palace 
of the Caesars, and the grand Coliseum, 

" The gladiator's bloody circus stands 
A noble wreck in ruinous perfection." 

And is now consecrated, has altars erected, and a cross in 
the centre, to kiss which " absolves the sins of an hundred 
days." 

It was a glorious night, the nearly full moon shone down 
in unclouded brilliancy, and I proposed a ramble among the 
ruins ; its mellow light conceals defects, and reveals only 
beauties ; it " softens down the hoar austerity of rugged 
desolation/' and fills up the " gaps of time ; " it veils the 
upturned earth of modern excavations, and fits the mind for 
undisturbed reflection. 

We went first to the Coliseum, and what was my surprise 
to find it enlivened with upwards of an hundred visitors. I 
did not know there was so much romance in the world. We 
walked along the Appian Way under the Arch of Titus, 
passed the Palace of the Caesars, the Temple of Concord, of 
Fortune and of Antoninus, through the Forum, and across the 
Capitoline hill. I stretched my historical knowledge to its 
utmost tension to people them with the beings, and throng 
them with the attributes of the past. 

29th. This day has been delightfully occupied in an excur- 
sion to Tivoli. The road, for the first ten or twelves miles, has 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 27 

little of interest, and I amused myself in watching the peasan- 
try in their picturesque dresses ; and the donkeys, upon which 
they pile such immense masses of fodder, as almost completely 
to conceal the animal from view, and make them resemble 
moving hay-stacks. We soon, however, came in sight of 
the Lago de Tartare, which we stopped to examine ; the 
water of the lake is of a milky-white color, and tartarises 
grass, and all vegetable matter with which it comes in con- 
tact, so that the ground around it is a curious mass of petre- 
faction, the air too smells strongly of sulphur, and the 
whole country for miles around talks of volcanoes. We spent 
an hour or two roaming over Adrian's Villa, which must have 
been a wonderful place, as within its confines are the ruins 
of palace, temples, barracks, libraries, circuses, theatres, and 
even a heaven and a hell, for the summer accommodation 
of the luxurious Romans. 

Tivoli is built upon a mass of petrefaction ; the conse- 
quence is, grottoes, caves, and caverns abound in the most 
romantic perfection. The river Anie runs actually under 
the town, and rushes down the precipice in innumerable 
cascades, the principal of which pours thundering down into 
the Grotto of Neptune, through which it passes, and all unite 
beyond ; directly over this, perched finely on the summit of a 
rock, is the beautiful little temple of Vesta, round which, 
like incense, the spray from the falls arises. Facing this and 
in the most romantic part of the town, and most inspiring 
of places the guide pointed out, what I fain would have 
believed was the abode of Horace. The guide-book, how- 
ever, located the poet ten miles off, giving Sallust the 
honor of inhabiting the place in question. 

4 trio., $th. The greater part of the last three days have 
been spent in the diligence between Rome and Naples, a dis- 
tance which should have been accomplished in thirty hours. 



28 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

But then we had the Mediterranean singing us to sleep 
with its roar on the one hand, and on the other the wild 
haunts of Fra Diavolo, "fit fabric" for a " vision's base.'* 
And now in Naples, we have letters from home which 
afforded ample occupation for the remainder of the day. 

6th. We have had a delightful excursion to-day in the 
bay of Naples, and to the island of Capri ; the steamboat 
following the land, we had an excellent view of the beautiful 
banks and of Vesuvius, continually pouring forth volumes of 
smoke, and surrounded by numerous villages and towns, as 
if the inhabitants were in love with danger. The steamboat 
stopped first off the far side of the island to give us an oppor- 
tunity of visiting the Grottono x\zuro, or Blue Cave, with 
which we were delighted; the entrance is so small as scarcely 
to admit a row-boat, upon the bottom of which it was neces- 
sary to sit. From the smallness of the aperture, it would 
be reasonable to suppose the cave would be dark ; what then 
was our surprise to find ourselves immediately ushered into a 
splendid stalactite grotto, very large and lofty, and in which 
all is light." The water is of the richest indigo blue, and so per- 
fectly transparent, that fish could be seen sporting far below 
the surface, and seems to act like a prism, and a mirror in 
refracting and reflecting the rays into all parts of the cavern, 
and giving to the whole interior the same beautiful blue ap- 
pearance, of the effect of all which no description can give 
an adequate idea. Thence we landed upon the other 
side of the island, and ascended to the lofty summit to enjoy 
a splendid view of the bay, to throw stones into the Medi- 
terranean, and to explore the ruins of the palace and theatre 
of Tiberius Caesar. It was after dark when we reached Ve- 
suvius, and the smoke was mingled with flame, every mo- 
ment bursting forth in a blaze, and then twinkling as a star 
in the distance. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 2 Q 

From Naples they left hy steamer for the East, 
and enjoyed the sail on the Mediterranean among 
the " Isles of Greece/' 

Syr a, 4 mo., 22nd. All the islands of the Archipelago 
appear to be excessively barren, far better fitted "to 
cradle upon a rock" their ancient race of " gods and god- 
like men," than to minister to the luxury of effeminate 
moderns. The men are for the most part fine-looking 
fellows, though among the women it would be difficult for 
sculptor to find a model for another Medicean Venus. 
There is a good deal of the Turk about the dresses of the 
men ; their wide-flowing breeches so much resemble frocks 
as to render it almost difficult to distinguish the women 
from them. Syra is the point of rendezvous and departure 
for all the Mediterranean steamers, and only as such is a 
place of note ; the town presents a curious appearance, 
being for the most part built upon a steep conical hill, sur- 
mounted on the extreme apex by a cathedral. 

How long soever we may be doomed to spend here, from 
appearances the outer man will be comfortably cared for, 
in a place where we had been given to expect that we 
should find nowhere to lay our heads. We are located in a 
sociable little inn, of which the landlord is cook, caterer, and 
conductor at one and the same time, where everything, 
though plain and simple, is far neater than in Italy, and 
where one can discover what he is eating at dinner without 
cross-questioning the waiter. 

2$tk. Hardly an hour after writing the above, we had 
starled on our way to Athens, having when out on a stroll 
in the evening, accidently fallen in with the master of a 
little craft who was upon the point of starting in the 
desired direction and whom we immediately engaged. We 



30 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



have just reached Athens this afternoon, with rough seas, 
head winds and calms, having had a tedious passage ; it was, 
moreover, from beginning to end a season of the most ex- 
quisite suffering ; the cabin, which was reserved for our 
party of five, was about five feet long, four broad, and two 
and a half high ; upon the floor was spread a blanket upon 
which to repose at night ; all this would have done very well, 
but unluckily the place was pre-occupied by swarms of 
cockroaches, fleas, and bed-bugs ; the very smell arising 
from which was perfectly overpowering, while the gnawing 
and stinging of the voracious monsters in miniature, almost 
drove me to distraction ; on the other hand to remain on 
deck, was, if possible, worse ; not only were the nights exces- 
sively cold, but the little deck was literally piled with 
pieces of mortality, in the shape of men, women, and chil- 
dren, occupying almost every inch of space, and abounding 
too with vermin of by no means a more inviting kind. 
Three nights on board under such circumstances ; — verily one 
needs not to brush up poetical and historical reminiscences 
to perpetuate the memory of such a cruise among the 
" Isles of Greece," and upon the waters of ^Egeian Sea. 
The harbor of the Piraeus is well protected, and remains of 
ancient fortifications may yet be traced. 

26th. Immediately after breakfast we went to visit the 
Acropolis ; the rock itself is situated in the midst of ancient 
and directly upon the borders of modern Athens, towering 
into the air as high as any of the surrounding hills. After 
ascending and passing through the entrance, the first object 
that strikes the eye is the Propylaea, a kind of immense ves- 
tibule leading to the Parthenon. To the right of this, and 
perched upon a lofty crag, is a beautiful little temple, almost 
perfect, built and dedicated to " Victory," after the battle of 
Marathon. Passing now through the Propylaea, the grand 



UXDER HIS WINGS. 



31 



and majestic Parthenon bursts suddenly upon the view ; 
this is situated upon the very summit of the Acropolis, and 
commands a magnificent view of the JEgeian Sea, the Gulf 
of Salamis, and the whole plain of Athens. Like Marius 
among the ruins of Carthage, I sat me down to contem- 
plate. 

The Areopagus, or Hill of Mars, is immediately adjacent 
to the Acropolis ; I ascended the steps hewn out of the 
solid rock and stood upon the summit ; here it was that the 
Athenian judges sat, in the dark, in order to avoid being in- 
fluenced by acquaintance with the accused or accuser ; here 
Socrates received his sentence, and upon this very spot 
stood the great Apostle of the Gentiles when he proclaimed 
to the wondering Athenians the truth of that " unknown 
God " whom il ignorantly they worshipped." 

2Sf/i. To-day to Marathon. Leaving father at home with 
his friend Hill, I started for the excursion early in the morn- 
ing, one of a party of eight ; on leaving Athens the road 
passes in the immediate vicinity of Plato's academic grove, 
and for some distance along the ruins of the river Elissus. 
Two hours ride brought us to the foot of Mount Pentelicon, 
the source of the renowned Pentelic marble ; here we dis- 
mounted, and ascended for nearly two hours, viewing the 
quarries of the ancient and modern Greeks, and exploring a 
most beautiful and extensive grotto. 

The mountain is 350 feet high, and most of the party having 
reached a lofty eminence declined proceeding further. I, 
however, pushed on till I reached the uppermost crag, where 
a glorious view burst upon the sight. Not far to the south 
is Mount Hymettus, celebrated for its honey, which is daily 
upon our table; further to the right the plain of Attica; 
Athens with her towering Acropolis in the distance, with 
the sea and island of Aegina, and " thy glorious gulf, uncon- 



32 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



quered Salamis." To the north and east the island-studded 
sea, stretching as far as the eye can reach, with the pic- 
turesque Negropont close at hand, while directly beneath 
my feet lay unrolled a beauteous plain, which a fool would 
not need to be informed was gray old Marathon. 

"The battle-field where Persia's victim horde 
First bowed beneath the brunt of Hella's sword." 

The country is wretchedly miserable, hardly a trace of 
cultivation anywhere to be seen ; in fact, except its ruins, its 
views, and its places of political and historical interest, one is 
apt to be disappointed in Greece. The people are sadly 
degenerated, a race of rascals and of knaves ; their songs are 
harsh, monotonous, discordant ; their women have lost their 
wonted beauty ; and their country even has sunk into decay. 
It is Ancient Greece one has pictured in his fancy, and the 
modern cannot realize his dream. " 'Tis Greece, but living 
, Greece no more." 

2Q)th. Breakfasted this morning with our friends, Hill. 
They mentioned having raised in their garden bunches of 
grapes two feet and a half long, and weighing seven pounds, 
which amply demonstrated that the soil is not to blame, but 
that if the people would but arouse from their lethargy, the 
country might now be productive. 

5 mo., ist. On rising this morning, found ourselves 
off Scio, the most beautiful of the isles we have yet seen, its 
valleys rich with the olive and mastic trees, and the hills 
cultivated to the very top, besides Homer gives it celebrity, 
" the blind old bard of Scio's rocky isle." By two o'clock 
we reached Smyrna. 

The town of Smyrna appears very well from the water 
sloping gently toward the shore and stretching a couple of 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 33 

miles along the coast, with the tall slender minarets of its innu- 
merable mosques towering high above every other thing. On 
entering the city, however, the scene is changed, every street 
being excessively narrow, crowded, and dirty, still the appear- 
ance of everything around him is to a stranger new and 
curious. The houses and shops are mostly one story high, 
the extending roofs of the dwelling-houses on opposite sides 
lapping over one another, while the streets of the bazaars 
are protected from the scorching rays of the sun by a semi- 
transparent roofing thrown from side to side. The shops are 
altogether open in front, the goods disposed upon the floor, 
upon which the cross-legged proprietor sits with pipe in 
mouth, perfectly still as if communing with his own thoughts 
and little desirous of being disturbed by customers. 

I stood in the midst of the ancient church of Smyrna — 
one of the seven. This place, once occupied by the early 
Christians, is now transformed into a cow-stable. 

2d. The streets of Smyrna are so narrow that not a vehicle 
of any description is seen, all burdens being borne by men, 
camels, and donkeys ; these latter are not as generally repre- 
sented, but smart and tractable, and if well-cared for would 
be tolerably handsome animals. Finding some ready-har- 
nessed in the street, we mounted, and drove a little out-of- 
town to the Caravan bridge, a kind of promenade, or rather 
lounging place. It was, however, the wrong time of day and 
almost deserted ; hence to the slave market, where we found 
no " beautiful Circassians," but Africans only, apparently con- 
tented with their lot, but all of them far blacker negroes 
than we see at home. 

4t/i. " Constantinople in sight," cut short my slumber. I 
tumbled out of my berth, and hurried up on deck ; there the 
eastern city of the seven hills, lay stretched before us with 



34 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

her majestic domes and slender minarets towering to the 
skies. The city has a beautiful appearance from the water, 
with the lovely Seraglio gardens directly in front of the 
harbor as you enter. Constantinople, as you see it at a 
distance on the water, and Constantinople as you behold 
it when wandering through its streets, are altogether different 
things; the streets partake largely of the barbarity of the 
people, excessively narrow and filthy, without sidewalks, and 
paved with stones rough and sharp enough to wear the 
fraction of an inch from one's stature by a half-day's walk 
upon them ; still the variety of costume in the throng that 
crowds them, and the rich and curious appearance of the 
innumerable shops, form a picture altogether new and pleas- 
ing. The dress of the Turks, however, I cannot admire, 
while that of the Greeks is extremely beautiful. 

6tk. We joined the American ambassador at an early 
hour this morning, pursuant to a previous invitation from 
him, for an expedition among the beauties of the Bosphorus, 
the Hudson of the eastern world ; several ladies were of the 
party, the whole number consisting of about twenty, it being, 
of course, an entirely American affair and no others than 
Americans present, A painter only could describe such 
a landscape as this ; but the principal features were, look- 
ing toward the east, the black sheet of the Euxine dotted 
with innumerable sails, and stretching as far as the eye could 
reach, with the ruins of an old Venetian castle upon its 
banks, situated in the very place, than which the genius of 
the picturesque itself would not have imagined a better ; 
toward the west a full-length portrait of the meander- 
ing Bosphorus, its picturesque promontories and beautiful 
bays, and bearing upon its bosom twice an hundred sails, with 
the Sea of Marmora and snow-capped Olympus in the dis- 
tance ; directly beneath our feet, upon the north, lay that 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



35 



splendid Bosphorus again, and behind to the south, a vale of 
the richest verdure. After feasting upon this intellectual 
meal, we were summoned to dinner, — a strange affair it seemed, 
for a party of Yankees to be holding a picnic five thousand, 
miles from home ; but even thus it was, and thanks to the 
hospitality of our American ambassador, never did Ameri- 
cans enjoy themselves better. Soon after dinner it was time 
to depart ; so cutting a Daphne cane from the furthest point 
from home that I have ever been, and ever expect to be, upon 
the Asiatic corner of the Bosphorus and Euxine Sea, again 
mounted our Araba, jolted down the mountain, passed 
through the lovely valley, stepped from Asia into a caique 
and retraced our way along the Bosphorus, enjoying another 
succession of enchanting views, among which one might 
revel for a life. When about half way down I enjoyed a 
magnificent sunset, — the monarch of the day departing, 

" Not as in northern climes, obscurely bright, 
But one unclouded blaze of living light," 

reflecting its glory upon the water, and gilding the green 
wave " which trembled as it glowed." Now turning into 
the city's gorgeous bay, the shades of evening or of twilight 
added to the witchery of the scene, and again I trod on 
shore, after having spent a day, which shall be a white stone 
in my calendar, a time ever to be remembered as among the 
loveliest periods of enjoyment that have ever cast their halo 
around my path. 

The extreme eastern point was now reached, and 
the travellers again embarked on the Mediterranean, 
landing at Trieste on the 19th of 5 mo. They visited 
the cave of Adeisburg, and then started by diligence 



36 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

for Vienna. After a sojourn of ten days in that de- 
lightful city, they resumed their journey. 

6th mo.) ist. We were off in a carriage at midday for Salz- 
burg, at which place we have arrived this evening. The road is 
a continued series of most magnificent and beautiful scenery, 
where, if Switzerland can be surpassed, we may be tempted 
to remain for life. Verily, this country seems made for trav- 
ellers, and for lovers of the romantic and beautiful ; the roads 
wind around, and pass over mountains of the wildest magnifi- 
cence, now following the shores of tranquil lakes embed- 
ded in their midst, now chasing the leaping torrents as they 
thunder along between them, but when the genius of the 
picturesque will allow of the approach of cultivation nothing 
can exceed the smiling exuberance of this beautiful land; 
indeed in this respect it must even be a rival of lovely Italy, 
the garden of the world. The approach to this place, and 
the view of the whole plain of Salzburg, hedged in by snow- 
capped mountains, is strikingly interesting and beautiful. 

l$thi Once more in the land of the olive and the myrtle, 
the fig-tree and the vine, of pretty faces, with mouths unpol- 
luted by horrid Dutch, and a happy release from the region 
of feather-beds to sleep under. Italia's smiling and exuber- 
ant plains now afford a striking contrast, and not unpleasing 
variety to the overpowering sublimity of the Tyrolean Alps. 

1 5 /A. I am indeed in Venice, the city which, perhaps, of 
all others, I had most desired to .see, — Venice the seat of 
poetry, of the arts and of romance, " throned on her hundred 
isles;" the glorious city in the sea, whose waves ebb and flow 
in her streets, washing " the marble of her palaces." I have 
been surprised to find that it is possible to go all over the 
city by land without the assistance of a gondola ; these terra 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 37 

firma streets are, however, very intricate, and upon an ex- 
ceedingly diminutive scale, as I find I can generally reach 
across them, but they are large enough for ail necessary pur- 
poses, there being no vehicles, and so far as I can discover, only 
one horse in the whole place. The finest part of the city is 
St. Mark's Place, a large open court, on which face the old 
palace of the Doges, and the great Church of St. Mark, with 
the towering campanile in front. 

16th. Rome and Venice share the glory of containing the 
ashes of Canova, as in the former his hands are entombed, 
while here in the Church of Santa Maria de Trari, a magnifi- 
cent monument is erected over his heart ; it so happened he 
designed it himself, and intended it as a monument to Titian, 
but dying just at the right time, it was appropriated as above, 
though a still more splendid one is now preparing, commem- 
orative of the illustrious painter. 

Explored the room and prisons of the Inquisition, whose 
tales are sad and horrible, and felt almost sick at heart as 
I stood and gazed upon the Bridge of Sighs. The palace, 
like everything else here, is falling to decay, and indeed it 
almost makes one sad to glide quietly and songlessly through 
the watery streets of Venice, to see at every turn her crum- 
bling splendor and her tottering walls. 

30//Z. The whole of the past two days have been occupied 
in a pilgrimage to the hospice of the Great St. Bernard. 
Leaving the hotel at six in the morning, the first five hours 
are accomplished in a " char-a-banc," or rather in a " char- 
a-cote," a species of vehicle drawn by mules, having the seat 
arranged lengthwise in order to accommodate itself to the nar- 
rowness of the road ; being moreover sans-springs, the poor 
inmates labor under the difficulty of having their breakfasts 
digested long before the dinner time arrives. However, being 



38 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

duly refreshed at a wretched hotel in the wretched little 

hamlet of , the road now becoming impracticable for the 

chars, each of us mounted a mule and proceeded onwards ; 
soon, however, the path emerged into a regular climb up rocky- 
steeps, and, for an hour before reaching the convent, passed 
over snow of unknown depth, some of which, doubtless, had 
lain there for centuries, and perhaps the very same that was 
trampled under foot of him who led an army hither en route 
to conquer at Marengo. 

Unluckily for us, though the day at starting had promised 
fairly, soon after taking mules the rain began to descend in 
no very comfortable quantities, changing as we ascended 
into a regular snow-storm, while, being in the midst of 
clouds, we could see but a few paces around or before us. 
Ever and anon too, our mules would sink to the girths in 
the snow, rendering it impossible to proceed upon them, so 
that much of the way w r as accomplished on foot. By six 
in the evening we were at the convent, cold and wet to the 
skin, but our troubles were soon put an end to by the kind 
hospitality of the " brethren," who piled the wood upon the 
fire, urged a change of raiment upon us, and when suffi- 
ciently revived, invited us to dinner; the fare excellent, 
though plain, a long cold ride upon the back of mules, fur- 
nishing the best of " ragout." Strange it seemed to be there 
in the midst of summer, shivering around a fire, and a furi- 
ous snow-storm raging without, and glad we were to turn in 
at an early hour under an array of blankets, coverlids, etc., 
that would have daunted us in the midst of winter at home. 

In the morning I was up betimes to attend the service of 
the monks in their chapel ; whatever may be said against the 
religion of the Catholics, their faithfulness and devotedness 
to it is certainly praiseworthy, and may, doubtless, be often 
accepted as an offering in faith. These monks perform their 
service for several hours every morning and evening, and, 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



39 



for all I know to the contrary, as much more during the day 
and night. This over, and after having partaken again of 
the good-cheer of the brethren, I sallied out to look for the 
famous dogs ; they are hardly as large as I expected to find 
them, but are certainly a noble race. Hence to the Morgue, 
or depository of the bodies of travellers who have perished 
in the snow, — a ghastly collection of dry bones, with a dozen 
or two upright skeletons ranged around ; but as I was turn- 
ing in disgust from this horrid " Golgotha," my eye rested 
upon the really interesting features of one of the figures, the 
anxiety and distress of a mother as she cherishes in her 
bosom her perishing babe, doubtless the very position in 
which they had been found. In the hall of the convent is a 
monument in memory of Napoleon, and in the chapel repose 
the remains of Desaix, whose body, by order of the former, 
was brought from Marengo hither. 

Though the storm had ceased, the clouds still hung around 
us, so at eight in the morning we commenced our descent, 
without having been able to enjoy the prospect from the 
summit, or the fine view of Mount Blanc which it presents, 
but at least with the satisfaction of having slept in the high- 
est human habitation upon the face of the earth, and about 
eight thousand feet above our fellow-men. 



L b l 



Luzerne, 6 mo., nth. After enjoying the sail upon the 
lake, we landed at the little town of Weggis, and commenced 
on foot the ascent to the Rhegi culm, from which is u the most 
magnificent view in the world." The road is steep and the 
ascent laborious, but almost every turn reveals some new and 
pleasing prospect. By two o'clock luckily the sun burst 
forth, and the curtain of the clouds arose, unveiling before us 
the magnificent scene ; and such a scene ! verily a whole 
vocabulary of the wildest superlatives would be applied to it 
in vain. Switzerland, from its Dan to its Beersheba, is seen 



4 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

in one grand coup d'ceil ; from the glacier snows of Gothard 
the eye may wander to the highlands of Germany, resting in 
its course on every alp save one, on fourteen lovely lakes, 
and on every magnificent and lovely portion of this magnifi- 
cent and lovely land. 

23^. He next revelled in the lovely Rhine, " so 
often and so justly sung by the poets of all nations," 
and then passed on through the quaint pictures of 
home-life displayed in Holland. Bidding farewell to 
" this amphibious Dutch land " with its dykes and 
ditches, the travelers remained for a time in Antwerp 
enjoying the remains of Rubens' genius. Brussels 
came next, and interested him greatly from its 
intrinsic beauty and historic associations. 

2d. But the great lion of Brussels is the memorable field 
of battle, and it has been with the most thrilling interest 
to-day that I have stood upon and explored that '' Grave of 
France, the deadly Waterloo," our guide pointing out the 
exact position of the contending armies, and the most 
interesting points of combat ; he indeed spoke with enthu- 
siasm upon the subject, and, after hearing we were not 
English, mourned the catastrophe of Napoleon, ever and 
anon venting his indignation against poor old Grouchy for 
coming up too late. Yet one can hardly avoid partaking of 
such feelings himself; yes, poor Bonaparte, here it was that 
cruel frisking Fortune deserted thee, " her spoiled, but 
favorite child," and "the greatest nor the worst of men" 
sank to rise no more. But for thirty years the spear hath 
been beaten into the pruning hook, and now far other scenes 
have place ; the peaceful bosom of the plain now " knows no 



UNDER HIS WINGS, 41 • 

ravage save the gentle plough," her undulating surface is 
clothed with grain ripe unto the harvest, and nature still 
pursues her quiet course, 

"As if she took no care 

For what her noblest work had suffered there. ,? 

They remained for some time in England, forming- 
pleasant acquaintances and visiting many places of 
interest. Only one notice will be given of their visit 
to the home of Lindley Murray, the grammarian, who, 
after leaving America, had lived for many years at 
York. 

9 mo., i6tk. To-day has been a most deeply interesting 
one to us. Accompanied by our friend Samuel Tuke, we 
visited Holdgate, the residence of our dear uncle and aunt. 
Its present tenants were all absent ; we, however, went in and 
examined it from top to bottom. The house and grounds 
remain very much Ihe same as before the death of their 
venerable inmates, and with the exception of being consider- 
ably smaller, seemed very like the idea I had formed of it 
from the prints. After purloining some small relics in the way 
of pears, we left and visited the grave. Uncle and aunt lay 
side by side, apparently exactly in the centre of the ground, 
with a square mound erected over them. 

iot/1 mo., 4t/t. Went on board the steamer at twelve 
o'clock, very many kind friends being upon the wharf to bid 
us a last farewell. At two we received our mails, and ere 
night, were " dancing in triumph o'er the waters wide." And 
what if the fierce Eolus does unprison the winds and let 
them loose upon us, " scooping the ocean to its briny 



42 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



springs." I still love the ocean, for it bears me home, and I 
love its roughness iC for the speed it gives." 

And now upon a retrospect of the past nine months, what 
eventful ones have they been to me ; how many " a mountain 
path" have I, during that time, trod; how many "" a varied 
shore " sailed along ; how many a clime have visited, " fair 
withal as ever mortal had imagined ; " and with feelings that 
cannot readily be described ; upon how many of the most 
remarkable places of the earth have I stood. I have passed 
through the length of " bonnie France," and revelled amid 
the inexhaustible delights of Italy, that delicious land : 

" The garden of the world, the home 
Of all art yields and nature can decree." 

I have gazed, awe-stricken, into the very crater of Vesuvius, 
and wondering threaded the streets of Pompeii, that " city 
of the dead." I have stood within the coliseum's walls 
" amid the chief relics of mighty Rome," feeling at the time 
my heart run over " with silent worship of the great of old."- 
I have hailed with delight Calypso's realms, albeit the fair 
goddess has long ceased to mourn for him " who dared pre- 
fer a mortal bride ; " although " her reign is past, her gentle 
glories gone." 

I have gazed exultingly on Morea's hills, and a pilgrim, 
pensive but unwearied, have worshipped " all that remains of 
thee," " shrine of the mighty," Greece ! Though but the 
shadow of thy former self; though but the " sad relic of 
departed worth," yet thy wreck and thy ruin are still graced 
" with an immaculate charm which cannot be effaced." 

I have been where Troy stood once ; I have seen the 
" desert of old Priam's pride," and '' looked on Ida with 
a Trojan's eye." I have joyed to plough through Hellers 
waves, albeit in a most unromantic steamer, and have had a 
tear to drop for thee, poor Leander, and thy Sestian bride. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



43 



From Marmora's waters I have looked upon old Stam- 
boul, "that sheening far, celestial seemed to be," and have 
stood within her oriental walls. I have revelled among the 
beauties of the enchanting Bosphorus, with a measure of 
Pizzaro's feelings on first coming in sight of the waters of 
the Pacific. I have climbed to the summit of the Giant's 
Mountain, and seen thy sheet, " dark Euxine," unrolled 
beneath my feet. I have been tossed to and fro upon 
" fair (?) Adria's waters," and have bent mine eyes upon 
thee, land of Albania, thou u rugged nurse of savage men." 

I have stood in Venice on the " Bridge of Sighs," and 
with Rogers have hailed the turrets of Verona, breakfasting 
" where Juliet at the mosque saw her loved Montague," 
and strove to drop a tear o'er her tomb. 

I have communed with Nature in her loveliest as well as 
in her wildest mood ; long delighted, have revelled amid 
the immaculate loveliness of Central Germany, and amid 
the tremendous grandeur of the Alps of the Tyrol. On 
Bernard's rude summit, have helped the monks " to count 
their beads and eat venison," and in one glance sublime, 
have looked from the top of the Rhegi, upon the whole of 
splendid Switzerland, spread out, as it were, beneath my 
feet. Wondering and delighted, I have gazed upon the hoar 
glaciers of bleak Mt. Blanc, and have seen the precipit- 
ous Jungfrau "rear her never-trodden snow." 

I have sailed upon the bosom of thee, fair Rhine, thou " ex- 
ulting and abounding river," whose banks are wedded to the 
romantic and the marvellous; have stood upon thy fields of 
blood, " dread Waterloo," where nations combatted to make 
one submit, and with a sort of thrilling horror, have gazed 
upon the awful Golgotha erected in thy midst, where are 
" rider and horse, friend and foe, in one red burial blent ; " 
and last of all, have hailed the white cliffs of our fatherland. 

But now, " once more upon the glad waters of the dark 



44 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



blue sea/' and homeward bound, I can look without regret 
upon Albion's lessening shores, for my face is turned at last 
toward my own dear native land, and after all my wander- 
ings, I have learned more fully than ever to appreciate, that 
there is no country like our country, and " no place like 
home." 



CHAPTER III. 

rpHUS far his joyous life had glided on with very 
little to mar its brightness ; but the time was now 
approaching when the responsibility of living pressed 
upon him, and he realized the necessity of better 
guidance than his own, to enable him to walk as 
becomes a follower of God. 

His tastes were always pure and simple; his loving 
heart preferred the happiness of others to his own, 
and earnest conscientiousness had always marked his 
character. 

Those who watched his childhood and youth, 
scarcely ever had occasion to notice a fault; yet to 
him, as to all the redeemed of God, came the essen- 
tial change from nature to grace. The new heart 
was bestowed, new feelings filled his mind, and a new 
motive was given to his actions. 

The change was so gradual, that he often said he 
could not tell the time of his conversion. As a 
sleeping child wakens at its mother's kiss, so he 
awoke to a realization of his Saviour's love, and 
willingly surrendered himself to His guidance. 

In his humility, he failed fully to appreciate the 
privileges of the Gospel. He did not at once accept 

(45) 



46 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

the Lord Jesus, as n his present, perfect Saviour," as 
he delighted to call Him in after life. There was a 
struggling and wrestling for the blessing the Lord 
had for His servant; but as he examined the written 
Word, under the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, 
he grew in knowledge and wisdom, and the service 
commenced, which only ceased when the summons 
came to a higher and nobler sphere. 

A casual observer would not perhaps be aware of 
any change. His laugh was as joyous, and his appre- 
ciation of the pure and beautiful as keen as ever ; but 
those who knew him best, could see the evidences of 
allegiance to his new Master. 

One of the intimate friends of his youth, describing 
his character, says of him: " His influence was uni- 
formly on the side of right and religion, and we all, 
as a matter of course, expected him to walk con- 
sistently as a Friend, while from his genial manners 
and pleasant way of putting things, he could say and 
do what he pleased We knew that he would never 
judge us harshly, nor speak sharply to us, however 
much we might differ, and he was always Welcome. 
Looking back now, I perceive he always made us 
better and more thoughtful by our intercourse with 
him. He always made his own position apparent, 
and yet I hardly know how he did it. It was a kind 
of atmosphere around him, rather than any brilliant, 
erratic flashes going out in darkness. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 47 

His earnest desires to be made entirely conform- 
able to the will of the Lord, will be seen by the fol- 
lowing extracts from letters to an intimate friend : 

2 mo., 7, 1848. I greatly hope our correspondence may 
prove of service to us in the best sense, fulfilling the declara- 
tion of the Apostle, " considering one another to provoke 
unto love and good works." If we know of no higher help, 
vain indeed would be all we could administer one to another ; 
but if we are enabled ourselves to build upon the Rock of 
Ages, may we not also in some measure " build one another 
up/' as the Apostle says, " in the most holy faith ?" 

I have thought we may be discouraged by the smallness 
of any offering we may feel required to make. If we would 
know of the windows of heaven being opened, and the bless- 
ings being poured down from our Father, all the tithes, small 
as well as great, must be brought into the storehouse. I be- 
lieve the Pharisee was not condemned for bringing tithes 
of mint, and anise, and cummin, but for neglecting the 
weightier matters of the law. And even the turtle-doves and 
little pigeons under the law, were accepted when offered in 
the obedience of faith. 

3d mo., 1848. I have found myself somewhat restricted 
for a year past in regard to company and visiting, though 
enjoying these things with perhaps more than usual zest. It 
not only intrudes upon the only time I can call my own, 
viz., the latter part of the evening, but I also find my equi- 
librium is so prone to be disturbed. Though I have some- 
times entered upon these occasions with, may I not say a 
prayer, to be preserved in my proper place, yet through un- 
watchfulness have made food for repentance in my retire- 
ment afterwards. I have often thought the Apostle James 
was very safe when he declared, " He that offended not in 



48 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

word, the same is a perfect man ; " and, ah ! how great an 
attainment to be enabled to bring not only our actions and 
our words, but even our thoughts into subjection, unto the 
obedience of Christ. 

I believe, however, it is quite allowable for us to mingle 
to a proper extent, and in a proper manner, with our friends, 
but it does seem indispensable that we carry and keep our 
watchfulness with us. 

And if this is our desire, may we not hope that through 
the good Spirit of Him, who attended the marriage of Cana, 
we may be enabled to adorn His doctrine while participat- 
ing in social pleasures as well as in all other things. 

4 7no. y 15. I have found in any little requirement, when 
the duty is clearly made known to us, if we but fully make 
up our minds at first, faithfully and in simplicity to fulfill 
it under all circumstances, we shall be enabled to do so, and 
will spare ourselves many conflicts. I was pleased in a little 
scrap I was reading the other day : 

" Go where His finger points the way, 
Nor tarry till He bid thee rest, 
And He whom winds and waves obey, 
Shall bless thee, and thou shalt be blest." 

5 mo., 7, 1848. Hast thou seen a series of letters of Claude 
Gay, which have lately been appearing in the "London 
Friend?" 

I remember a view he took of a text of Scripture which 
quite impressed me, and which may be encouraging at times 
when we may feel depressed at the faintness of any opening 
of duty, and may be disposed to wait for greater manifes- 
tation of the will of the Father : 

" The Lord is to be found by those who seek Him early, 
not only in the early part of their lives, but also when any 



UXDER HIS WINGS. 



49 



duty is first presented to their minds, and He would make 
the truest and most advantageous decision ; and not only so, 
but would enable us to go through those difficulties that an 
entire submission to Him would seem to bring upon us, and 
in due time crown us with peace here, and with glory here- 
after." 

I have never been more strongly solicitous than for a few 
days past, that I might indeed be one of the redeemed chil- 
dren of the Lamb, having my robes washed in His blood, 
and every thought, inclination, and desire subservient to the 
Father's will. This has tended only to make the conscious- 
ness of my own great deficiencies more overwhelming. May 
He who has all power in heaven and in earth, make bare 
His holy arm for my deliverance and preservation. I am 
comforted in remembering, that not a sparrow falleth to the 
ground without His notice, and an immortal soul is declared 
to be of more value than many sparrows. 

The service to which he was afterwards called, of 
ministering to the Lord in the assemblies of the peo- 
ple, now faintly appeared before Him. While shrink- 
ing- from the magnitude of the work, his simple- 
hearted dedication and trust enabled him to per- 
ceive that the power which required the offering, 
would be all-sufficient to His believing children. 

7 mo., 13, 1848. In regard to the important subject of which 
we were speaking, I may say, that there is such a shrinking 
of all that is natural in me, from so fearful a service, that I 
feel as though the stretching forth of my hand unbidden to 
the ark would not be my greatest danger. 

And while I pray to be preserved on either hand, my ear- 
nest intercessions for clearness of vision have been thereto- 



50 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

fore so marvellously answered, that I believe the same favor 
will still be mercifully granted. 

This matter seems very much in the distance to me, but 
the weight of the prospect would be overwhelming, were it 
not sealed with sweet consolation upon my spirit ; that the 
Great Captain sendeth not forth to warfare unshielded or 
unarmed. He most assuredly will thoroughly furnish His 
dependent little ones for the faithful discharge of all that He 
may require at their hands, to their own peace, and even to 
His glory. 

But, O ! if these things be so, may the burial by baptism 
be indeed unto death, that I may be enabled to yield myself 
unto God, as one who is alive from the dead. 

I have often thought of the encouraging language to 
Joshua, as also to Gideon and many others, especially Moses. 
How wonderfully the Most High condescended to plead with 
him, and to remove all his fears. Surely these are left on 
record for our encouragement, also to show us that we have 
not a hard Master, but at the same time One that must be 
obeyed, happily for us if with a willing heart. 

As I was sitting in meeting yesterday, querying why this 
subject should be brought before me, while so many other 
trials of faith were already pressing upon me, the answer 
quickly came : " It is that thou mayst come experimentally 
to know my grace to be abundantly sufficient for thee, and 
my strength to be made perfect in thy utter weakness.'' 
After which a sweet calm spread over my mind. 

Thus it is, that He who knows so well how to succor those 
that are tempted, sendeth us in the needful time help from 
the sanctuary, and strengthens us out cf Zion, enabling His 
children to gather, day by day, a measure of spiritual and 
sustaining manna. Whatever be His blessed will concern- 
ing me, whether to make me as one of the humblest door- 
keepers in His house, or to stand as a watchman upon the 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 5 ! 

walls, may the breathing of my inmost soul be, " Even so, 
Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight." 

8 mo., i6t/i f 1848. It may not be safe for a Christian to 
look forward to too large a share of happiness in this world- 
The dear Master himself was a man of sorrows and ac- 
quainted with grief, and is it not enough for the servant to 
be like Him ? Still I believe that for want of being entirely 
bound to the cause, and fully given up to suffer for it, very 
many trials and afflictions arise which do not originate in 
the Divine Will. If the contrary was the case, these would 
not only be spared us, but we would be favored with so close 
a union and communion with the Father of lights, as even to 
be a foretaste of heaven. Then we should be enabled to 
count for joy those afflictions and persecutions which must 
needs attend us for the Word's sake, none of these things 
being able to move us from that perfect peace in which we 
shall be kept by Him, upon whom our minds are stayed. 

The Apostles of old suffered incomparably more than any- 
thing we can look forward to, and it is testified of them, that 
they " did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of 
heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people." 
It seems to me that the more we are permitted to partake 
of the sufferings, the i?iore we shall know of the consolations ; 
and if it were our very meat and drink to do the will of our 
Father which is in Heaven, we should be favored more 
largely to partake of that bread which cometh down from 
Him, of which the world knoweth not. 

I cannot help believing, that it is for want of this entire 
dedication that the waters of that river which makes glad 
the whole city and heritage of God, become to us as a spring 
shut up, a fountain sealed. 

11 O never despair at the troubles of life ; 

All's right. 



J2 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

The Pilot beside us is steering us still; 

All's right. 

The Champion above us is guarding from ill ; 

All's right. 

Let others who know neither Father nor Friend, 
Go trembling and doubting in fear to the end, 
For us on this motto we'll surely depend, 

All's right. 

9 mo., 21, 1848. It is indeed humiliating when we feel 
that all the heart and soul should be given up to the Good 
Master, yet when something seems to be required, we should 
be so prone to rebel and think Him a hard master. 

But thus it is, u the flesh warreth against the spirit and 
the spirit against the flesh ; " and in consideration of these 
things, my own spirit would often be overwhelmed, were it 
not for the consideration, that " He knoweth our frame, He 
remembereth that we are dust." 

Let us therefore look unto the Lord in living faith for 
strength, and we shall most assuredly find cause with the 
Apostle to thank God, that through Jesus Christ our Lord 
we are delivered from this wretched state, while we acknowl- 
edge with Him, that there is indeed " no condemnation to 
them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the 
flesh but after the spirit ; " " the law of the spirit of life 
in Christ Jesus " having made us "free from the law of sin 
and death." 

n mo., 27, 1848. In relation to the doctrine of a state 
of freedom from sin being attainable in this life, to which 
thou makes allusion (a doctrine I confess very precious to 
to me, though so infinitely far from having attained such a 
state myself), it is indeed impossible for the unregenerate 
man to conceive of the glorious liberty into which the Lord 
introduces His redeemed children. Yet the command to be 



UXDER HIS WINGS. 



53 



11 perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect," would 
surely not have been given forth by Him, of whose law it is 
not possible one jot or tittle should fail, were it not to be 
obeyed. 

And unless we are cleansed from the defilement of sin 
while here, how can we look for an admittance into those pure 
regions of light, into which it is emphatically declared that 
nothing that is impure can enter. 

But those who attain to this perfect state, will not wish to 
be taken away from this scene of probation in their own 
time ; for though they know of a truth that to depart 
and be with Christ would be far better, still they have no 
other wish than to finish the work which the Master has 
given them to do ; every thought, every inclination, and 
every desire is merged in this, and the prayer of the undi- 
vided heart unceasingly ascends, " O my Father, not as I 
will, but as Thou wilt." 

ii mo.) 2, 1848. My feelings in relation to reading 
have very much changed of late. I have found I could not 
indulge to any extent, even in the perusal of those works 
which are considered by the thinking world as " books 
which are books." 

And much of the poetry that is written cannot even 
be styled such. Time was when I used to rejoice over 
Shakespeare, and revel for hours, and even days together, 
in the thrilling poetry of Byron. 

But what, after all, are the bulk of these productions but 
'romances, and then rendered doubly attractive in their 
poetic dress. I . quieted my conscience as long as I could, 
with the plea that I read them for the poetry, and not 
for the story, but that would not do. I well remember, 
too, how complete a disrelish they gave me for aught that 
was serious ; and though, perchance, I did at seasons open 



54 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



my Bible, under some vague apprehensions that I ought 
to do so, still little did I realize of the comfort and en- 
couragement that I am now often favored to derive from it. 
But how could it be otherwise ? When there is no hungering 
for the bread of Life, why should we expect to partake 
of that, which cometh down from God out of Heaven ; 
where there is no thirsting for the water of Life, how can 
we expect to be refreshed by that "river, the streams 
whereof make glad " the heritage ? 

Nov/ I am often wrapped in wonder at the marvellous 
comprehensiveness of the Sacred Records, so replete with 
counsel, encouragement, consolation, and warning, suited 
to our every state. What untiring interest even its nar- 
ratives possess; one may read, for instance, the history of 
Joseph over and over again, not only with increasing pleas- 
ure, but receive some new emotions, gather some fresh 
instruction every time. 

I was thinking the other evening, after our family reading, 
in what a condescending strain we are from time to time 
addressed through this instrumentality ; we had then the 
Psalm read, " As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, 
so the Lord is round about His people," etc. And again, 
" Fear not, for I am with thee ; be not dismayed, for I am 
thy God." 

Our seasons of morning and evening reading are often- 
times of very great refreshment to me, and dear sister 

G remarked, shortly before she died, " Now I realize 

the benefit of them." So many texts of Scripture which 
had been impressed on her mind upon these occasions, 
now affording her such unspeakable comfort. But I find too, 
that I do not get through the day as satisfactorily when I 
omit a season in the morning for private reading and prayer. 
It is as far from being lost time as the attendance of our meet- 
ings in the week. However weak our faith, if in the little 



UXDER HIS WIXGS. 



55 



which we have, we morning by morning thus earnestly seek 
the blessing, we do obtain it, and are strengthened by a 
measure of the Master's power, to wage a successful war- 
fare against the trials and temptations of the day. 

ii mo.) 1848. As we cannot live our lives over again, is 
it not the part of wisdom, forgetting the things that are be- 
hind, to reach forth to those which are before, however 
much we may mourn our shortcomings and deficiencies ? 

Sometimes in seasons of trial we may be disposed to mur- 
mur for the flesh-pots of Egypt, and remember with long- 
ing the days that are past, when we did eat the bread of 
this world to the full. But as we patiently and prayerfully 
hold our own way, our experience will be, that there are no 
enjoyments to be compared to those which we partake of in 
being fully conformed to the Divine will- 
Trials will and must assail us, but these, as some one re- 
marks, are "the engines in God's hand to lift us to Heaven," 
and travellers towards the city which hath foundations, 
must not expect the weather, the road, and the disposi- 
tions of their minds for prosecuting the journey to be always 
pleasant. 

1 mo.) 5, 1849. How solemn is the thought that another 
}^ear has fled, gone with all the omissions and commissions 
which have marked its course, to be recorded above. 

I have been reverting to the events of the past, to me a 
deeply important one, and feelings of sincere gratitude have 
ascended to the Father of all our sure mercies, who has been 
so marvellously with me during this last year, and crowned 
it with His goodness. 

And although I have been favored with a measure of that 
strength which is made perfect in weakness, to attend to 
some requirements of duty and walk, I trust in a measure of 



56 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

faithfulness ; still I feel deep sorrow, that after so many to- 
kens of His condescending care, I should be such an un- 
profitable servant. 

I am constrained to acknowledge, that it is of the Lord's 
mercies that I am not consumed. May these feelings tend 
to humble all my haughtiness, and lay low all my loftiness, 
that the Lord alone may be exalted in my heart. 

From one of his sisters, he had, when very young, 
imbibed a great horror of the sin of slavery, and as 
he grew older, the subject continued to claim his 
attention. 

When at Haverford, he introduced the question in 
his debates and essays, and at last formed the resolu- 
tion of clearing himself of any participation of the 
guilt, by abstaining from the produce of slave-labor. 

The following covenant was found among his 
papers : 

6 mo., 8, 1847. The subject of abstinence from the pro- 
ducts of slave labor, has very unexpectedly taken strong hold 
of my mind for the last two weeks, and this abstinence, I am 
fully persuaded, is now required of me. 

Though to adopt this principle seems very much in the 
cross, yet remembering the emphatic and positive declaration 
of the apostle, that whoso " knoweth to do good and doeth 
it not, to him it is sin," I dare not withhold the offering, lest 
by wilful disobedience to what I know to be the require- 
ments of the Master, the little which He has given me in 
mercy, in judgment should be taken away, and these liftings 
up of His countenance upon me, by which I have ofttimes 
of late been refreshed, be withdrawn forever. 



UXDER HIS WINGS. 



57 



But should I, at any future time, be unavoidably placed 
in such a position as to render this abstinence impractica- 
ble, He who hath bound I humbly believe will also loose. 

And may He whom I reverently trust I may say I love 
and desire to serve, strengthen me to fulfil every work which 
He sees meet to call for at my hands. May the language of 
my heart increasingly be : " Draw me, O Lord, and I will 
run after Thee." 

Writing to a friend under date of I mo., 21, 1848, he 
thus speaks of this subject : 

I am much interested in thy occasional allusions to the 
free-labor question, and hope thou wilt not put off whatever 
thy own hands may find to do in this matter. I believe 
there may be many who are convinced of the duty of ab- 
staining from the produce of slavery, and yet stumble at the 
entire insufficiency, as they conceive, of the means to accom- 
plish the end in view, but — 

" What if the little rain should say, 
So small a drop as I 
Can ne'er refresh the thirsty fields, 
I'll tarty in the sky ? 

" Doth not each rain-drop help to form 
The cool refreshing shower, 
And every ray of light to form 
And beautify the flower ?" 

I can say in reference to this particular requirement, my 
own heart has often been bound in thankfulness to Him, who 
is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working. It has 
been in a remarkable manner the means made use of, to 
lay many of my crowns at the Master's feet ; and coming at a 
time when my heart and affections were full of the things of 

3* 



58 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

the world, and I was earnestly seeking great things for my- 
self, it has been the means of enforcing the injunction, to 
" seek them not." The many trials and difficulties into 
which I was soon introduced, were mercifully overruled, as I 
have no doubt they were designed, for my greatest good, 
bringing me back to the Father's house, to partake of the 
bread which is abundant there, and showing me " there are 
no joys like the joys of God's salvation." 

I believe that, however little, or however much, God know- 
eth of outward treasure, I am to be blessed with, or as 
John Woolman would say, " tried with," my happiness in 
this life is not to consist in this, but rather in the faithful 
obedience to the commands of Christ. 

5 mo., 1 8, 1848. How gratifying to find the transatlantic 
Republic, (referring to the new Republic just formed in 
France) taking such noble and consistent ground upon the 
subject of slavery. 

She, at least, cannot and will not recognize the incom- 
patibility of her motto, " Liberte, egalite, fraternite," with the 
bondage of any of her subjects. May we not hope her ex- 
ample and influence will have weight in the councils, as well 
as upon the people of other nations, even our own ? Some 
one objecting to freeing our slaves, said it would not do to let 
loose so many colored persons upon the community ; that 
they could not take care of themselves, etc. A remark of 
Claude Gay will apply here, " We ought not to do any evil 
knowingly, under the apprehension good may come of it ; 
and, on the other hand, we ought not to desist from our 
known duty, to prevent any evil we imagine may ensue." 

If, under the brutalizing and degrading influences of 
slavery, they can support both themselves and their masters, 
surely under the elevating influence of freedom, and the con- 
sciousness of reaping the fruits of their own labor, their 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



59 



hands will be able to minister to the necessities of themselves 
alone. 

3d mo., 27th, 1848, he thus writes to his friend : 

I may acknowledge that at times, of late, the great dis- 
courager has come in like a flood upon me, inducing a 
feeling almost akin to despair, when contemplating the thick 
cloud which so utterly obscures my path, in regard to en- 
tering business. Yet it has been sweet to be reminded, 
that if with loins girded about and lamp trimmed and burn- 
ing, I can but patiently stand and wait, I may even thus be 
fulfilling the perfect will of my Father who is in Heaven. 

"When faithless Peter asked a sign, and lo ! a sign was given, 
He learned that faith should ever trust, tho' clouds obscure the 

heaven ; 
For faith is like the summer flower, that opes its petals wide, 
If the warm sunshine be bestowed, or if it be denied." 

4 mo., 22, 1848. I have recently had another proposi- 
tion for entering business made to me, and which, judging 
after the manner of men, seemed a very desirable one. I 
have always, in every case of this kind, felt it to be a serious 
matter to turn away from any good prospect without suffi- 
cient cause ; yet plainly seeing that I could not enter upon 
this, and at the same time be faithful in other things, which 
I have regarded and must yet regard, as the requirings 
of Him who must be obeyed, I was enabled, I trust, cheer- 
fully to relinquish it. 

For if we will persist in our own willings and our own run- 
nings, not only when no light shines upon them, but even 
contrary to the clear manifestations of duty, have we not 
reason to fear, not only that our very blessings will be 
cursed, but that a famine will come upon us for disobe- 



6q UNDER HIS WINGS. 

dience, " not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but 
of hearing the voice of the Lord" ? 

At times the query has come from the Tempter, "Who 
hath required this at thy hands ? " which brought me into 
deep searching of heart, and led me to retrace with a Spirit's 
eye the path I had trod, with the prayer, 

" If I am right, oh teach my heart still in the right to stay ; 
If I am wrong, Thy light impart, to lead the better way." 

And I may thankfuliy acknowledge, that such clear and 
repeated evidences have been granted me, that all in this 
respect is right, as to melt me- down in gratitude to so kindly 
condescending a Father. Nor can I any longer cherish a 
doubt but that whether it shall seem good in His sight, that 
I be a steward over little or much, I may be installed 
therein without the breaking of one of the least of the com- 
mandments of that law written in the heart. 

A store for the sale of articles manufactured by- 
free labor was started in New York, in the Winter 
of 1847. This seemed to offer something in which 
he could unite. Speaking of it in one of his letters, 
he says: 

9 mo., 27, 1848. Having done all I can, I have retired 
behind the scenes, endeavoring to keep in the quiet. I 
would not be looking so much toward this business, but my 
mind has seemed bound to it, and whenever I have tried to 
turn away from it, I have not been able to do so. 

I am fully convinced it will some time be my allotment, 
and I am looking towards its being brought about in a way 
entirely satisfactory to myself, and give no offence to others. 

So if there is an opening I shall not hesitate to embrace it, 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 6 1 

without much counting of costs, or calculation of results, 
feeling assured that if faithful in this and in all other things, 
all that is necessary will be granted, and what is more, the 
approval of Him whose blessing maketh truly rich and 
addeth no sorrow to it. 

After a few weeks of patient waiting he was al- 
lowed to step forward, and purchasing the stock 
of the former proprietors, he assumed the Free Prod- 
uce store in Pearl Street. 

There were many who were disposed to blame 
his lack of prudence in undertaking such a hope- 
less cause, and some laughed at his Quixotism ; 
but he pursued the even tenor of his way, satis- 
fied the step he had taken was right for the pres- 
ent. The future he left in His hands, of whom 
he speaks at this time as " a condescending Fa- 
ther who has thus far led me along and cared for 
me, and now I am constrained " 

u To praise Him for His mercies past, 
And humbly ask for more." 

He, however, sometimes met with encouragement 
and approval which cheered him as a " brook by the 
way." 

Among these was a letter from a friend in Eng- 
land, who thus writes: 

ii mo., 1848. I was truly gratified by the receipt of thy 
letter, and cordially desire thy prosperity in the important 



62 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

undertaking in which thou art embarked, as it is begun 
in a sincere desire to promote the welfare of the oppressed, 
and under a sense of the need we have of the Divine 
blessing, to make any of our efforts prosperous. 

I fervently desire thou mayst be daily engaged to look 
unto the Lord for direction and support, when trials and 
perplexities attend thee, for assuredly they are in greater 
or less degree the portion of us all, and may be, if rightly 
used, our richest inheritance. 

Keep close to that gift of God, through Jesus Christ, 
which is able to guide and preserve thee, and, I humbly trust, 
will make thee a very useful and honorable member of our 
portion of the Universal Church, even as thy ancestors were 
in their day and generation. 



CHAPTER IV. 

TN the pictures heretofore presented, we have 
seen the gentle boy growing into the attractive 
youth. Again his steps are arrested by the still, small 
voice which calls to all the children of men, and 
the ready response comes, " Lord, what wilt Thou 
have me to do ? " 

Another important step was now made, and from 
this time he must be contemplated in the position 
of husband and father, shedding over his own house- 
hold the full brightness of his loving spirit. 

He was married on the 3d of 5th month, 1849, 
to Ruth S. Taber, of New Bedford. 

It was not strange that he who had so earnestly 
sought to be led and guided in all the affairs of 
life, should in this momentous step desire the Lord's 
blessing. In a letter written soon after his engage- 
ment to her whom he had chosen as the partner 
of his life, he thus describes his feelings: 

6 mo, 30, 1848. I may thankfully acknowledge, that 
feelings of sweet consolation, satisfaction, and encourage- 
ment, have been given me in the retrospect of the important 

(63) 



64 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

step we have been taking, and the evidence is strong of the 
approval of Him who is higher than we. 

Should the spiritual path in which each of us is constrained 
to walk, be permitted to be in good degree the same, it will 
indeed be sweetly comforting to be enabled to travel hand 
in hand together, and I have been made to rejoica in be- 
lieving this would be the case. Still, it will not do for us to 
linger one for the other. May we each be strengthened to 
move on in the meekness of wisdom, as the stepping-stones 
are clearly shown us ; and they will be shown with greater 
and greater clearness, in proportion to our faithfulness. 
Thus following on to know the Lord, and to obey Him, we 
shall be enabled to animate and strengthen each other, to be 
helpmeets indeed, while journeying through this checkered 
and probationary scene. And through the mercy of Him 
whose we are, we shall be enabled to serve Him with 
acceptance here, and finally be admitted to the perfect hap- 
piness of those who become as the angels of God in Heaven. 



Few were more fitted to enjoy domestic life, or more 
calculated to make home happy. Whatever perplex- 
ities might assail him in the duties of the day, they 
were never allowed to disturb the happiness of the 
circle around his fireside; his own wishes being laid 
aside, his single desire seemed to be to promote the 
comfort of others. 

Eminently social and warmly attached to his friends, 
and practicing a willing hospitality, he was not 
unmindful of the heart of a stranger. The lonely 
youths, whom the business opportunities afforded by 
New York had drawn into that busy metropolis, 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 65 

found in him a wise counsellor, and under his roof a 
substitute for the home-circle far away. His clear 
judgment and singleness of devotion to his Master's 
work, caused him to be frequently called upon for 
service in the church of which he was a member, 
and every act, however small, was preformed with 
scrupulous fidelity as to the Lord. Even the uncourted 
task of collecting money for charitable objects was 
changed in his hands to a loving service, while so 
pleasant was his manner that even tightly-drawn purse 
strings readily relaxed at his approach. 

But in the absorption of his busy life, his first desire 
continued to be that " Jesus, and Jesus only," should 
reign in his heart. Knowning his own inability to 
serve his Lord without constant support, a little time 
was always taken in the morning for seeking the 
daily supply of strength from Heaven. 

One who was associated with him in business gives 
the following testimony to his endeavors to be fervent 
in spirit while attending faithfully to the daily duties 
of life : 

I was with him for two years ; they were mostly years of 
poor success and great business anxieties for him ; and I 
want to bear my testimony to his unfailing kindness and 
pleasantness, to his business uprightness, under every temp- 
tation, and to his never- failing attention, even in the busiest 
and most trying times to all duties, whether legitimately 
belonging to his own affairs, or laid upon him by others. It 
was wonderful how he attended to all the calls that were made 



65 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

upon him outside of his business. I have often spoken of it 
since, and I trust have endeavored to follow him as the 
best pattern I ever saw. 

The following" extract was found in his pocket-book 
after his death, bearing traces of having been carried 
for a long time : 

The business of many Christian men is like a " body of 
death" tied to their immortal natures. They are like eagles who 
would fain smell the air of their lofty crags, but their clipped 
pinions only flutter in hopeless mockery. There is a remedy, 
however, and a simple one. Christ wants our business. Let 
Him have it to the last dollar. And while in all its details we 
do it for Him, we shall cut forever the cord which has enslaved 
us, and shall taste the blessed peace of partnership and 
brotherhood with the Son of God. 

In the Summer of 185 1 the clouds commenced to 
gather, which seemed to overshadow his future life, 
and often the ejaculation, " Wherefore, Lord?-" was 
met by the ready response : u It is I, be not afraid." 
Behind the veil was the mercy seat, and beyond the 
cloud the clear shining of the Sun of Righteousness. 
In the eighth month of this year, the first-born son 
was suddenly snatched from the loving arms that 
would fain have held him to earth, and laid at rest 
on his Saviour's bosom. 

Perplexities arose on account of his business. It 
became evident that there was not sufficient interest 
felt in the subject of Free Produce, to warrant his 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 67 

continuing the store. After much thought and 
earnest prayer for direction, he engaged in the wool 
business ; feeling that in this at least, there was no 
taint of slavery. 

His letters during these years evince growth, 
though it will also be seen that he had not fully entered 
the land of promise. A marvelous contentment with 
God's will was wrought in him by the power of the 
Holy Spirit, but the rejoicing of the adopted child 
was not yet his abiding condition. 

He often looked back on this period with regret, that 
while careful to fulfill all the duties of a servant in 
the Lord's house, he had not more fully realized the 
privileges of sonship reserved for him in Christ 
Jesus. 

6 mo., 25, 1852. For the last six or eight months the 
heavens have seemed as brass and the earth as bars of iron, 
and from time to time I have been ready to adopt the mourn- 
ful language of the Prophet, " Thou hast covered thyself with 
a cloud, that our prayers should not pass through." But 
during the past week I have been favored with ability to 
draw a little nearer to the Throne of Grace, which I have 
received as a token for good, and thankfulness has been the 
covering of my spirit. 

I think I never felt a stronger desire, that my body, soul, 
and spirit might be fully dedicated to the service of the dear 
Master, and I have afresh seen, under I believe, a measure 
of His illuminating power, that the "judgments of the Lord 
are true and righteous altogether, more to be desired than 
gold, yea, than much fine gold." I have been ready to 



68 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

covenant that if He would be with me, and preserve me from 
bringing reproach upon His name and cause, I would follow 
whithersoever He may be pleased to lead. 

8 mo n 1852. Ability has been given to cast all my care on 
the Lord, who careth for His children, for which I am truly 
thankful. It is my desire to keep in the quiet, not troubling 
myself about the future, but living one day at a time, com- 
mitting my way unto the Lord, and trusting in Him. 

To his wife : 

8 mo., 1852. The reading of Richard Shackelton's letters 
has been affording me much enjoyment. 

I have been particularly impressed with the favor which 
was granted him, in seeing his children grow up, as it were, 
" wholly of a right seed," minding the same things as their 
worthy parents did, and bringing honor to the cause of 
Christ. And I have queried, how much was owing to his 
having educated them himself? 

It is often remarked that we cannot confer grace upon our 
children ; but do parents make full use of that which would 
be freely conferred upon themselves (as they reverently and 
prayerfully seek it), in training up their tender charge ? If 
they do not, how can they satisfactorily respond to the sol- 
emn query, relative to the lambs committed to their charge ? 

As our little ones grow, these considerations will become 
serious ones to us. As it is our united concern to seek Jesus, 
and Jesus only, I trust we shall be enabled to train them in 
the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and that the bless- 
ing which maketh truly rich, and unto which no sorrow is 
added, will descend on them and on ourselves. 

Thy account of is very encouraging, yet just what 

we should look for in confiding faith. It is a direct answer 



UXDER HIS WINGS. 



6 9 



to prayer. Surely we may be encouraged to carry all our 
burdens and all our troubles to the Throne of Grace, and 
leave them there. In reference to our children especially, 
let us continue earnestly to pray that not, at some period in 
the indefinite future, they may be gathered into the fold, 
but that His hands may be placed upon them now. 

By the will of Lindley Murray, the grammarian, 
83,000 was left in charities in England, and all the 
residue of his property, after the payment of numer- 
ous legacies, to trustees in New York, for " the libera- 
tion and education of slaves, the civilization and in- 
struction of the Indians of North America, and the 
purchase and distribution of religious works.'' 

This trust has been under the care of New York 
Yearly Meeting under the name of the " Murray 
Fund," and has been the means of great usefulness, 
the interest being annually expended in accordance 
with the wishes of the donor. 

In 1854, Robert Lindley Murray was appointed 
treasurer of that fund, which office he held until 
his death. The estimation in which his life-long: 
services were held by his associates, will be seen by 
the following extract from their minutes : 

" We feel in the removal of our dear friend, we have been 
deprived of a wise counsellor, and valued coadjutor in the 
duties of this trust. 

" His intimate connection with many religious and benev- 
olent associations, and his knowledge of their practical 



yo UNDER HIS WINGS. 

workings rendered his services as a trustee very acceptable 
to his associates. 

" The example of our dear friend, his kind and gentle 
spirit, combined with great energy of character, will long be 
held in remembrance by his associates." 

A pleasant intimacy and correspondence existed 
in his youth with a friend of his sister Gertrude, and 
this friendship was now renewed and strengthened 
by their connection by marriage. He writes to her, 
8 mo., I /, 1848 : 

It seems a long time since we were wont to salute each 
other in this way. That time has been an eventful one to 
us, and we have both changed. Perchance in the staid and 
sober mother of a family I would not immediately recog- 
nize my enthusiastic friend of old, while, for myself, I may 
confess the responsibilities of living, and of living a consist- 
ent life, have weighed upon me. 

And thus while endeavoring to reach forth to " those 
things which are before," we may each have been con- 
strained to forget things that are behind. May we not have 
become thus prepared to be nearer friends, more closely 
united in affectionate sympathy than ever before ? 

This was indeed the case, for both felt the call of 
the Lord to minister before Him in the sanctuary, 
and bearing one another's burthens, were fitted to 
comfort and strengthen each other in their service 
for Him. 

7 mo., 23, 1852. Just received thy kind note giving a 
fresh evidence that as we abide in the light, we have fellow- 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



71 



ship and true communion one with another. I am glad 
thou did not withhold it, and so perchance miss of the re- 
ward attendant on handing a cup of cold water in the name 
of a disciple. 

As thou suggests, I am not often tried with doubts, and 
have been ready to marvel at the clearness with which, 
whatever few stepping-stones I have placed my foot upon in 
the pathway of holiness, have been made manifest to me. 
And, dear sister, fervent are my petitions that all doubts 
and discouragements, if such assail thee, may be removed, 
and that thou mayst be strengthened to take heed to that 
unto which thou art called, and faithfully and fearlessly ful- 
fil it. 

And again, after she had been enabled, through 
Christ strengthening her, to perform the service re- 
quired of her, he sends a loving salutation of thanks- 
giving : 

9 mo. 9 7, 1852. May I be permitted, my dearly loved 
sister, to rejoice with thee that thou hast been strengthened 
to overcome ? Thou hast been the companion of my 
thoughts of late, and I have felt some ability to put up my 
feeble petitions to our Father in Heaven, that He would be 
very near thee, and not only enable thee to suffer, but also to 
do His whole will. 

And now, dear sister, that thou hast been favored with 
such an evidence of the love and mercy of the Lord, surely 
thou will not be too much cast down, whatever hereafter 
may be permitted to come upon thee. 

Like Mary of old, thou hast sat still in the house, till it 
was plainly showed thee that the Master called for thee. 
Perhaps thou may not always be permitted to gaze on the 
effulgence of His glory ; but after every season of temptation 



72 



UNDER HIS WINGS, 



and trial, as thou maintains thy hold v on the shield of faith, 
unto thee angels will be sent to minister. 

And do not be discouraged by a belief, that naturally 
thou art not fitted for this important service. Were this the 
case, thou still would not limit the Holy One, but I believe 
very much to the contrary, and that as all is sanctified to the 
Master's use, He will make of thee a vessel of honor in His 
house, and enable thee to serve at the altar, to thy peace 
and to the glory of His adorable name. 

So now the injunction to Joshua comes freshly before me, 
" Be strong and of good courage, have not I commanded 
thee ? Be not afraid nor dismayed, for the Lord thy God is 
with thee, whithersoever thou goest." 

Her service in this probationary sphere was soon 
completed, while his was of longer duration ; but both 
leaving the church militant, have now been joined to 
the church triumphant in heaven, where the song of 
praise commenced on earth, swells to a fuller chorus, 
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive glory 
and honor and blessing/'" 

In the financial crisis of 1857, his firm, like so many 
others, was obliged to succumb, and the shock com- 
ing suddenly upon him, produced a severe ilrness. 

His convalescence was slow and tedious, and for 
months he was almost entirely confined to the house, 
unable to attend to business. To this trial w 7 as added 
the necessity of giving up his pleasant home, and the 
dangerous illness of two of bis children. 

It was the will of the Lord, whom he loved, that 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 73 

he should attain to " a disciplined consolidation in 
Christian virtue," but in this season of trial the de- 
pendent child was not left alone. Leaning upon the 
Beloved, he was enabled to live in such acquiescence 
in the will of God, that he could say, 

" 111 that Thou blessest is most good, 
And unblest good is ill, 
And all is right, that seems most wrong, 
So it be Thy sweet will," 

During all these weary months, when he felt it 
was so important to be up and doing, no murmur 
escaped his lips. Patience, indeed, had its perfect 
work, and the result was a ripened experience of 
the all-sufficiency of sustaining Grace under adver- 
sity and trial. 

In the ninth month of the next year he thus writes 
to his wife : 

I have never felt stronger desires than at present to be 
entirely conformed to the will of our Heavenly Father, and 
to lead a life of devotedness to Him. I do not realize the 
sensible enjoyment of the Beloved of souls, and yet I 
scarcely know why I do not. May I not hope that like 
the more outward trials, which have so abounded, this, too, 
is among the " all things " that work together for good, and 
say with H. B. S., 

" Lord of the living and the dead, 
Our Saviour dear ! 
We lay in silence at Thy feet 
This sad, sad year." 

4 



74 



UNDER HIS WINGS, 



4 mo., 12, 1858. We had a good meeting this morning, 
with an unusually full attendance notwithstanding the storm. 
I was brought into sympathy with those who felt called to 
deliver the message of the Lord, and the words of the Apos- 
tle were received, " Unto you it is given on the behalf of 
Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to surfer for His 
sake. ,, 

To be intrusted with the messages to the church, seems 
so precious an evidence of Divine regard, that such at least 
might delight to do His will. " The Lord loveth a cheerful 
giver," and if His anointed messengers, instead of waiting^ill 
they hear, as it were, the woe pronounced, were ready to run 
in the way of His commandments, the Church would be 
more largely edified, and they themselves, instead of going 
mourning on their way, as is now so often the case, would be 
filled with the peace which passeth understanding. 

In the Spring of i860, a stranger made her ap- 
pearance among Friends in New York, whose story 
excited much attention. This was an Indian woman 
from Canada, Nah-nu-bah-wequa, " the upright wom- 
an," who was desirous of going to England, to 
plead the cause of her people before Queen Victoria, 

The Government in Canada having taken the 
lands of the Indians offered them for sale, the 
tribes were desirous of purchasing them back, but 
were informed by the Indian Agent at Toronto, 
that it was contrary to law for an Indian to pur- 
chase, or hold property in real estate. They accord- 
ingly resolved to appeal to the Queen, and selected 
Nah-nu-bah-wequa as their representative. They were 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 75 

unable to furnish her with the necessary funds, 
and as the Society of Friends has always taken the 
part of the Indian, they resolved to appeal to them. 
In response to this, a meeting was called in the 
meeting-house in Twentieth Street, to hear her 
statement. 

In a letter to his wife, Robert Lindley Murray 
gives an account of this meeting : 

3 mo.) 30//Z, i860. Our Indian meeting last evening was 
well attended, the lecture-room being comfortably filled. 
The audience was informed by William Cromwell, that the 
result of the investigation as to the genuineness of the case 
had been entirely satisfactory, and then the Indian woman 
was introduced. 

She spoke in a touching strain for nearly an hour, giving 
a narration of the wrongs done to her tribe, with the nature 
of which we are only too familiar, from the similar treatment 
which other tribes have received from our own people. 

After she had concluded, a committee was appointed to 
receive subscriptions to aid her in getting to England, and to 
provide her with proper introductory letters to enable her 
to find access to the Home Government. 

Hats were passed round on the spot, and about $140 
collected. We shall want about $500 in all, which will be 
readily made up, about $300 having now been obtained. 
After this business had been concluded, the woman again 
came forward, expressing a wish to close the meeting with 
prayer. She knelt down, and in a melodious voice poured 
out a fervent petition for the Divine blessing, for herself on 
her lonely pilgrimage, on the people of her tribe, and on 
the white men their persecutors. 

As for these last, broken with sobs, her prayer ascended, 



j6 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." 
The audience was moved to tears. 

I was reminded of the text, " Of him to whom much is 
given, much shall be required.'' If this poor Indian woman 
had so largely experienced the efficacy of that faith, which 
works by love and purifies the heart, " how shall we escape 
if we neglect so great salvation ?" 

The Indian woman was sent on her way, and 
after a sojourn of nearly two years in England, 
appeared again before the Friends in Twentieth 
Street, to give an account of her visit. 

She was kindly received by Friends in England. 
Robert and Christine Alsop, ever ready to succor 
the oppressed, opened their house to her, and ar- 
ranged a plan for an interview with the Queen. 
With quiet dignity this native princess entered the 
presence of royalty, and was so cordially received, 
that she quite forgot the rules of etiquette, and in- 
stead of kissing the hand of the Queen, shook it 
heartily. Her story was soon told, the Queen directed 
investigation into the matter, and Nah-nu-bah-wequa 
withdrew, charmed with the kindness of her recep- 
tion. Substantial tokens of regard were given to 
her, and her infant son born in England, received 
the name of Alsop Albert, in commemoration of the 
Friends under whose hospitable roof he first saw the 
light. 

Robert Lindley Murray fully recognized the truth, 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 77 

that " One is your Master even Christ, and all ye 
are brethren/' and was ever ready with sympathy 
and encouragement towards those who needed it. 

In the early part of 1862 a colored man called 
at his office, bringing testimonials from Friends in 
Canada, that he was a member among them. Fur- 
ther inquiries brought out an interesting history. 
Originally a slave, he had finally escaped to Ohio by 
the underground railroad, and as the Friends in that 
State were active in their succor of the fugitive, he 
obtained shelter and employment among them. Be- 
coming convinced of the truth of their principles, he 
requested and obtained membership in the Church. 
But the increased aggressions of the slaveholders 
in recalling their fugitives, made his friends appre- 
hensive for his safety, and he was sent to Canada, 
where again Friends kindly received him. 

As he realized more fully the blessedness of the sal- 
vation of the Lord Jesus, a burning desire filled his 
mind, to be permitted to go to his brethren in Africa, 
to tell the story of Jesus and His love. But in order 
to be more effective in this service, it was desirable 
he should have an opportunity for more education 
'than he had thus far obtained ; and as it was not safe 
at that time for him to enter a school in the United 
States, it was concluded to send him to England. 
With this idea he came to New York, with letters 
recommending him to the care of Friends in that city. 



78 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

Robert Lindley Murray opened his house to him, 
and with the assistance of Friends, made arrange- 
ments for his passage to England. After his arrival, 
the following letter was received from him : 

Sibford School, gf/i, 24, 1862. Immediately after Yearly- 
Meeting I came to this school, where I have been steadily 
pursuing my studies, and hope I am progressing satisfac- 
torily, but I find it will be a work of time to make me a re- 
spectable scholar. 

London Friends take a kind interest in my welfare, and 
are desirous that I should possess a fair knowledge of the 
English language before I leave this country for Africa. 

An important service for the Lord continues to press upon 
my mind as awaiting me in that land, perhaps at Sierra 
Leone or Liberia, and it may be in both places. I trust I 
may be found willing to do all that may be required at my 
hand, when the Almighty shall see fit to call me there. I 
rejoice in the belief that for the present I am where my 
Heavenly Father has been pleased to place me. 

This is a school belonging to the Society of Friends, where 
some agricultural labor is performed by the boys, the family 
is about seventy in number. 

I often recur to thy kind and generous attention to me 
when I was in New York, and I wish again to renew my 
thankfulness to thee for such favor and attention. I should 
like my kind regards to thy family, and to any other friends 
who may feel interested in me. 

I am very sincerely thy friend, 

Joseph Richardson. 

The interest of London Friends continued in this 
young man, and after receiving a good common 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 79 

school education, he was sent by their liberality to 
Sierra Leone. 

But He whose thoughts are not as our thoughts, 
accepted the desire for service, and called the laborer 
home before he could perform it. He was seized with 
fever while the ship lay in the harbor of Sierra Leone, 
and died after a few days illness. 



CHAPTER V. 

r I ^O any one of the refined taste and active disposi- 
tion of the subject of this memoir travelling 
possesses a peculiar charm, and from his early youth 
he had delighted in the beauties of nature spread over 
the earth with such a lavish hand. He was one of 
those happily-constituted characters in whose mental 
crucible everything is so fused by the alchemy of 
their own sweetness, that annoyances vanish, and 
only the brightness remains. In later years when 
he could say with adoring gratitude, " my Father 
made them all," his enjoyment of these beauties 
was greatly enhanced, and he delighted in finding 
in them fresh proofs of the loving care and power 
of their Creator. 

A little description of his feelings at Trenton Falls 
will show how instinctively he " looked through 
nature up to nature's God/' 

6 mo., 29, 1 861. It. is one of the most charming spots I 
know. I walked up the gorge as far as it was practicable, 
and much beyond the point where visitors generally begin to 
retrace their steps. 

While thus wandering with delight amid the magnificence 
of His created works, my heart seemed filled with the love 

(80) 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 8 1 

of our Heavenly Father; and such a sweet feeling was 
granted me that I was one of His children, that I was con- 
strained to kneel upon the spot and vocally to render a 
tribute of praise. 

In the Autumn of 1862 his attention was directed 
into a channel which had been an interesting one to 
him from boyhood. 

The civil war was then raging, causing much suf- 
fering in both Northern and Southern homes. The 
condition of the slaves was of course rendered more 
intolerable, and many living near the line escaped 
into a free country, only to suffer great privation 
and hardship. Government aided them as far as 
possible, but in the vast results at stake, individuals 
of course could not receive much attention. Friends 
having been for many years anti- slavery in their 
principles, felt that this was a field for them, and an 
appeal was issued to their members calling for con- 
tributions to relieve the needs of the fugitives. 

In a letter written 10 mo., 6th, Robert Lindley 
Murray thus speaks of this enterprise : 

At our representative meeting, on fifth day last, the sub- 
ject of the contrabands claimed attention. There was a 
united feeling that here was an opening for Friends, and 
three persons were named to prepare an address to the 
members generally. 

At this time, when others are making such large personal 
and pecuniary sacrifices to promote war, it seems to be a 
time when Friends should be particularly careful to discharge 

4* 



82 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

their whole duty in such a matter as this, so much in har- 
mony with their previous testimony and with their views of 
the precepts of the gospel. 

I suppose it is too much to hope for, but it would be 
delightful to see all the yearly meetings of Friends united 
in this business, and their committees acting as the dispensers 
of the world's charity, as was the case with the Dublin Com- 
mittee at the time of the Irish famine. 

His desires were more fully realized than he ex- 
pected, for the address issued by the representative 
meeting found a willing response in the hearts of 
the people. Pecuniary aid flowed in, besides boxes 
and bales of clothing, shoes, blankets, etc., and the 
work commenced which has not yet ceased. 

Different yearly meetings in this country found 
their respective fields, in which the labor was carried 
on by their committees, while from the brethren 
across the water came liberal and prompt contribu- 
tions. 

Physical suffering demanded attention at first, and 
after the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves 
a great need still existed. " Never had the colored 
people required help and helpers more, than when 
they were thrown upon their own resources and the 
charity of their well-wishers. ,, The prejudice exist- 
ing against them rendered northern aid necessary 
in securing educational privileges, and in the years 
which followed, while the physical need was pressing, 
requiring constant supplies, the paramount aim was 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 83 

to promote the moral, intellectual and religious 
training of the colored people. 

During thirteen years, the committee of New York 
Yearly Meeting expended 8126,950.00, of which nearly 
650,000 was received from Great Britain and Ireland. 

Robert Lindley Murray very much enjoyed this 
work, and maintained a constant correspondence 
with the teachers at the South. These devoted 
laborers, in their self-sacrificing missionary efforts, 
found very few sympathizers. In fact, it was often 
difficult to find homes for them, so great was the 
prejudice against a " nigger teacher." 

The kindly words of sympathy, added to the busi- 
ness letters he sent them, were often alluded to as a 
"brook by the way," cheering them amid many dis- 
couragements. 

He made several visits to Washington and Rich- 
mond on behalf of the committee, which were full of 
interest. 

Some incidents in one of them, when the work was 
only just commenced, immediately after the close of 
the war, are given by a member of the party accom- 
panying him : 

Richmond, 12 mo., 7. — A splendid day; the air frosty and 
vigorous. Soon after breakfast we started for Chimborazo, 
upon whose summit is situated the colored camp. There are 
here about no houses and 1,000 individuals. Our first at- 
tention was directed to an old colored man, who declared he 



84 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

was 115 years old, at least, "he fought in Colonel Wallace's 
war, and he was over thirty then." Reluctant to show 
ignorance of prominent events, we all remained quiet, hop- 
ing that silence would be construed into a perfect familiarity 
with the character of that officer. But not so, the Friend 
accompanying us 'discovered the true state of the case, and 
explained that Colonel Wallace was the new appellation for 
Lord Cornwallis. 

In an adjoining room lived a young woman with her two 
children. She worked in Richmond for $13 a month, and 
with this she supported herself and children, paying an old 
woman a certain sum for taking care of the latter during her 
absence. In the corner of the room she had a quantity of 
wood stacked, — her supply for the next week. She had with 
her own hands partitioned off a portion of her apartment for 
a poor, disabled man, and it was well done too. 

He was lying on the floor, wrapped in the few rags his 
neighbor could spare from her scanty wardrobe, and the 
cold draughts were chasing each other through the desolate 
apartment, which had not a solitary piece of furniture in it. 
Entirely unable to provide for himself, he was left to the 
charity of any who were willing to spare a crust from their 
not-overstocked larders. 

Among the mass of colored people, we encountered but 
one asking alms, and that was an old rheumatic woman, 
borne down by years of oppression, and disabled from work 
by the constant use of the hoe. 

There are 30,000 colored people seeking shelter in Rich- 
mond, and but 400 supported by charity, all of these being 
superannuated. There are no loungers on the corners, nor 
idlers in the streets ; but every able-bodied man, woman, and 
child seemed busy, as far as our observation extended. 

Thence we went to the Howard Hospital. In the first 
room sat a dozen old women around the fire, bent, rheumatic, 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



85 



paralyzed, literally worn-out, but as happy as though life had 
been with them a perpetual holiday. 

After some conversation, the lady with us announced to 
the women that this gentleman, pointing to R. L. M., was 
one of those who sent them shoes. 

Upon this followed a chorus of — " God bless him," " God 
bless him ; " " De Lord bless him ! " " Let 's lift him up on 
our shoulders and tote him around the room ! " Then, 
turning to one of their number who seemed to possess a 
degree more of physical stamina than themselves, they 
exclaimed : " You strong ; you lift him up, and we 11 tote 
him ! " 

The gentleman in question, alarmed at the possibility of 
such a demonstration, hastened to turn the conversation. 

In the next ward was an old woman, who told us that her 
husband and seventeen children had been sold from her, 
and she knew not where one of them was. " Not a child in 
the wide world, Missus, is left to me now in my old age." 
" But, perhaps, you may meet them in heaven before long." 
" God grant I may," was the fervent ejaculation. " But it 's 
all over now ; they can't sell children from their parents any 
more." " Thank God ! Thank God ! He has begun a 
good work, and He will finish it. We can leave it with 
Him." 

In a third ward was a circle, including many generations, 
quietly listening to one of their number reading the Bible. 
She was perhaps the oldest of the company, and with her 
thin fingers was slowly following the lines. This was the first 
person we had met who could read. " Well, aunty," said one 
of our group, " you look pretty feeble." " Yes, missus, para- 
lysis all down this side." "And how did you get so ? " " I 
spects working in de swamps." "When you were so feeble, 
did your master treat you kindly ? " " Oh, no ! he drove 
me as long as I could work, and then drove me away." 



86 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

An old man in another room was questioned how he was. 
" I's got de rheumatiz mighty bad in my knees ; but de 
praises ob de Lord in my heart." Such wonderful com- 
posure under suffering is truly marvellous. 

In the early settlement of the West, the Friends 
who emigrated thither were incorporated in the one 
Yearly Meeting of Indiana. Their numbers increased 
rapidly, partly from emigration, and partly from the 
addition of those who felt a desire for a more simple 
mode of worship. 

The parent tree thrust its roots firmly into the soil, 
while innumerable saplings sprang up around, until it 
became necessary to divide and sub-divide. Three 
new Yearly Meetings have been formed from its mem- 
bership, and a fourth is now under contemplation. 

One of these, Iowa Yearly Meeting, was established 
in 1863, and according to the custom of the Society, 
committees were sent from most of the other Yearly 
Meetings, to welcome this new tyro into the brother- 
hood. 

Robert Lindley Murray was one of the committee 
sent from New York, and found much to interest him 
in the Far West. 

The substantial house in which the meeting is 
now held, was not then built, but temporary accommo- 
dations were arranged for the sessions. 

A large building used for a boarding-school formed 
a comfortable home for the committees from different 



UNDER HIS WINGS. %J 

Yearly Meetings, while the beautiful grove near by 
furnished accommodations for many who came in their 
large wagons, prepared to " camp out" during the 
time of the meeting. 

The sessions of the Yearly Meeting occupied the 
mornings, a Sabbath-school Convention was held in 
the afternoons, while every morning and evening the 
denizens of the camps and the inmates of the board- 
ing-house gathered together for prayer. 

On all these occasions our friend took an active 
part, and many yet remember the gentle, persuasive 
eloquence with which he sought to magnify Christ, 
as the great need of the immortal soul. 

A few notes taken by one of his companions, will 
give a picture of this novel and interesting episode 
of his life. 

Oskaloosa, 9 mo., gf/t. The clouds mustered in ominous 
blackness, and a coming storm seemed likely to interfere with 
any out-of-door gatherings. But a large number assembled 
in spite of wind and weather; the main building was filled, 
as well as the temporary shed accommodations. This is made 
of rough boards, without any floor, save that which nature 
provides. During a storm, umbrellas are necessary as a pro- 
tection from water, which flows quite freely through the 
crevices. 

There must have been two thousand present, and a very 
still attentive audience they were, save now and then a 
demonstration from some unhappy infant who enters its noisy 
protest against the restraints necessarily imposed upon it. 
The meeting was opened by , who spoke of the miracu- 



88 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

lous feeding of the five thousand. As the good Father of 
all mercies had condescended so wonderfully to multiply the 
loaves, and satisfy the physical need of the multitude, he 
doubted not He would give His blessing upon this assembly, 
and feed them with spiritual food needful for their strength. 

After the meeting, we strolled among the camps. It was 
meal-time, and the effect of the family-groups scattered through 
the woods enjoying their simple repasts off rude extempor- 
ized tables, was picturesque in the extreme. In the evening 
the view was fine, the camp-fires burning brightly in every 
direction, each surrounded by its neighborhood of families, 
while from the wagons the faint glimmer of the candle 
showed where a mother watched beside her sleeping infant. 
It is said there are one hundred families and fifty wagons 
encamped here. 

At three we adjourned to the Conference. Charles F. 
Coffin presided, R. L. Murray and Joel Bean acting as 
Secretaries. It was a large assemblage, all seeming to take 
a great interest in the object for which they were convened. 
The first subject was the very comprehensive one, "What 
shall be done to improve our schools ? " Many spoke, 
and all seemed united that there was required on the part of 
the teachers a more prayerful, earnest spirit, and on the part 
of the parent more encouragement of, and interest in, the 
work. 

\oth. This was the first meeting for business, and it was 
interesting to observe the perfect quiet and order that pre- 
vailed; nothing seemed to jar, but everything was conducted 
with as much system as if it had been a long-established 
organization. 

The appointment of the book and tract committee elicited 
some very interesting remarks. It is astonishing how alive 
they are to this subject out here. A young man came to R. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 89 

L. yesterday, and handed him some money with the request 
that he would purchase with it, books for a library with 
which he was connected. R. L. consented, and said he would 
enclose some tracts in the package if he thought he would 
dispose of them. The young man readily assented, and in- 
formed him that he had recently spent three months in trav- 
elling around the country for the purpose of distributing 
tracts. 

13M. The Sabbath morning dawned cool and clear, a 
smiling sunshiny day. It seemed as if a propitious heaven 
had thus sanctioned the object which had this day its in- 
auguration, the first great public gathering of the Society of 
Friends, nearly fifteen hundred miles distant from the shore 
which received its first members, fugitives for conscience 
sake. 

Long before the hour of assembling, carriages with their 
heavy weight of interested participants commenced to ar- 
rive, pouring in from all directions, from the rude wagon 
of the back-woodsman, to the more " recherche " establish- 
ment of the townsman. 

At ten o'clock the main house with its shed extension 
was densely packed, and upon the green grass, with noth- 
ing but the blue heavens above them, was assembled a mul- 
titude, bowed in spirit before the great Creator, and silently 
waiting for the inshining of His grace. 

The stillness was broken ; one after another arose, influ- 
enced by the deep solemnity of the occasion, and in lan- 
guage of inspired eloquence addressed the gathered assem- 
bly, calling upon all to turn, repent and live. The torn con- 
dition of our land was deprecated, and the glory of that day 
exalted, when the united anthem shall ascend, " Peace on 
earth and good-will to men." 

Surrounding the assembly was an amphitheatre of wag- 



9Q 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



ons, each containing its complement of spectators, some of 
them rude-looking, but all preserving a solemn decorum of 
manner. 

Besides those drawn here by the interests of the occasion, 
there was a large class attracted by curiosity, and the nov- 
elty of the scene ; these wandered about in groups, talking, 
but quietly and evidently respecting the occasion. At seven 
in the evening all had again retired to their homes, the 
animated picture had dissolved, and a peaceful quiet suc- 
ceeded the active stir of life. 

In 1865, desirous of giving his children better advan- 
tages for physical development than is afforded in a 
crowded city, Robert Lindley Murray purchased a 
country home in Chappaqua, about thirty miles from 
New York, where the summers were afterwards spent. 

He greatly enjoyed his home there; its interests 
were a relaxation from the cares of business, and the 
beauty and richness of the surrounding country were 
a constant and varying pleasure. 

But remembering " this is not your rest," he did not 
settle down in the enjoyment even of this cherished 
spot. He soon found opportunities in the neighbor- 
hood for service for his Lord, and here, as in every 
other position in which he was placed, he sought to 
advance the Redeemer's kingdom. The village of 
Chappaqua, about a mile from his house, possessed 
all the accompaniments of a country village, except 
a church. 

His own requirements for social worship were fully 



UNDER HIS WINGS. g\ 

met by a Friends' meeting-house about three miles 
distant, but this did not satisfy him. 

A large and flourishing Sabbath-school was held 
in a carpenter's shop, kindly loaned for the purpose, 
and this increased until some of the classes met 
under some large trees near the door. The children 
were gathered in, but the majority of the adult popu- 
lation were without the opportunity of hearing the 
Gospel preached. 

With his prompt and persevering industry, he at- 
tempted to remedy this evil. He interested the re- 
ligious community in the neighborhood around, and 
the result of the combined effort was the erection of 
a neat edifice for a Union Church, which it was his 
delight in after life to see filled with attentive listen- 
ers, and in which he gave his last testimony to the 
all-sufficiency of his Saviour's love. 

In the year 1863, Friends in Canada, who, until now, 
had been a component part of New York Yearly 
Meeting, requested the privilege of establishing a 
Yearly Meeting of their own. The distance from 
New York City was so great, that but few of their 
number could attend the meeting annually held there. 

After some preliminary deliberations, the request 
was granted by the parent meeting ; but feeling a 
deep interest in the young neophyte, she sent a depu- 
tation of Friends to assist in the establishment of 
Canada Yearly Meeting. 



q 2 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

Robert Lindley Murray was one of the number, 
and with his wife, and a party of young people from 
New York, made a pleasant excursion to Pickering, 
Canada West, in 6th mo., 1867. 

They were hospitably entertained at the house of a 
Presbyterian gentleman, and in the communion with 
the members of their own religious body, the week 
passed rapidly away. 

R. L. M. interested himself very much in the cause 
of Sabbath-schools, encouraging the teachers pres- 
ent, by his sympathy and practical hints on the best 
methods of imparting instruction. 

He also ascertained the number of schools desti- 
tute of libraries, which want he was enabled to sup- 
ply on his return home, through the assistance of the 
" Murray Fund." 

One little incident was a source of much comfort 
to him, and presents a fresh evidence of the truth of 
the promise, that the word of the Lord, given 
through the mouth of His servants, shall not return 
to Him void. 

In going to the post-office for their letters, the at- 
tention of his party was directed to the village tav- 
ern, surrounded by drunken loungers. It seemed as 
if this was a place where the light of the Gospel 
ought to shine. 

Speaking of his feelings on his return to his lodgings, 
he found two ministers, Elizabeth L. Comstock and 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 93 

Mary Rodgers, ready to unite with him in carrying 
the glad tidings of salvation to this dark place. A 
visit was accordingly paid to the landlord, to ask his 
permission to hold a meeting in his house. 

This was granted, though not very willingly. A 
large room used as a dancing-hall, was fitted up with 
seats, and a meeting appointed for the next evening, 
to which the landlord promised to invite all whom he 
met. Punctually at the hour the Friends arrived, but 
found no one. 

The landlord had locked up the bar-room, deter- 
mined that no liquor should be sold during the time 
of the meeting, and with his family, were read} 7 to at- 
tend, but no one else had come in. The earnest labor- 
ers, not dismayed by the lack of response to their invi- 
tation, placed the young girls of the party near the 
open window, where the}' commenced singing some 
sweet hymns. The others went down into the street 
to beat up recruits, and before very long, a company 
of fifty men, women and children were gathered to- 
gether, attracted by the music and the novelty of 
the scene. 

The faithful ministers told " the old old, story" with 
such gentle, persuasive power, that many were moved, 
and at the close of the exercises, such a desire was 
manifested for another meeting, that they agreed 
to come again the next day. 

No artifices were necessary to call the meeting on 



54 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

the next evening, but a large company was ready 
waiting, when the hour arrived. 

Again the marvellous love of God, in sending His 
only begotten Son to die for sinners, was dwelt upon, 
and the message found entrance into some hearts. 
One of the Friends, in her prayer remembered the 
landlord, and asked for a special blessing upon him 
for his kindness in opening his house for this purpose. 

The servants of the Lord left the house, and soon 
afterwards the place, but the message given them to 
deliver, remained behind. It was not long before 
the landlord gave up his establishment, feeling that 
he could no longer put anything in the way of his 
fellow-creatures to cause them to sin, and both him- 
self and wife became Christians. 

Thus the little seed fell in a cleft in the rock, and 
watered by the Holy Spirit, sprang up and bore fruit 
to the glory of God. 

As Andrew called his brother Peter, whose more 
prominent service for the Master soon overshad- 
owed his own, so our friend in this instance was 
the instrument to call in the assistance of older labor- 
ers. His part of the service was more obscure ; but 
done as to the Lord, we must believe it was accepted 
of Him. 



CHAPTER VI. 

T TE whose way is entirely committed to the Lord, 
finds " His goings forth prepared as the morn- 
ing," and simple obedience to the teachings of the 
Holy Spirit, leads into acceptable and fruitful service. 
Until now, Robert Lindley Murray had been labor- 
ing among older minds, but the command sounded, 
" Cast the net on the other side of the ship/' and in 
seeking to gather the children, he himself was greatly 
blessed. 

During their residence in Flushing, his wife had 
been accustomed to call in the few Friends' children 
of the village, and hold simple exercises on Sabbath 
afternoons. He was always present as an interested 
spectator, though protesting he was not qualified 
for active co-operation. And naturally he was not 
adapted to interest children. Fond of his own, and 
ready to amuse or interest them, his sympathies were 
with older minds, and he chose from preference those 
of cultivated tastes and ripened intellect. 

But when convinced it was his duty, he was alwa)^s 
ready to do what he could. His wife being suddenly 
called from home, he thus wrote to her: 

3 mo.) 30, 1856. Perhaps thou wilt smile when I tell 

(95) 



9 6 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



thee, I felt most easy not to allow the First-day School to be 

postponed, on account of thy absence ; so, as C promised 

to come and help, I told the children we would have school 
as usual. 

The hour seemed to pass very quickly away, and I hope 
not altogether unprontably. I had intended to read the his- 
tory of Joseph after the lessons were over, but the time was 
filled up without it, and I really did not think of it. 

This has been the happiest day that I have known for 
some time past, a little of the best company having been 
mercifully granted. May I be so preserved through the 
week, in a watchful and prayerful frame of mind, that its 
savor be not lost. 

When they returned to reside in New York, the 
position of Superintendent of the Friends' First-day 
School being vacant, he was requested to assume the 
place. With his characteristic humility, he would 
have preferred others ; but seeking counsel of the 
Lord, he was convinced it was his duty to engage in 
the work, and hesitated no longer. 

His feelings in regard to this work will be best 
shown by his own advice to teachers, given some 
time afterwards : 

It seems to me that many teachers think far too lightly 
of their office, take too little time for preparation, while some 
appear to give no thought to the duties, til] the time arrives 
to enter upon them. 

No teacher can hope to present to the mind of a child 
the great truths of the Bible, in such a manner as to in- 
terest the feelings, without time for preparation. The les- 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



97 



son should be firmly impressed on the teacher, if he would 
hope to convey it to others. It is a good plan to make mem- 
oranda through the week of suitable illustrations, refer- 
ences, and anecdotes, which would not be likely to recur to 
us at the time. But do not be in bondage to your notes 
while teaching. Some references you may need, but when 
you are with your class, you want your eyes and your 
thoughts for your scholars. 

Though we may feel we have but one talent, let us remem- 
ber, that we are accountable as surely as he is to whom ten 
have been intrusted. 

As superintendent of a school, I may say that the most 
frequent reply made to me, by those whom I have invited to 
become teachers, has been, ' J have no gift.' 

Let us remember it is not the greatness of the work, but 
the faithfulness with which we use the talents entrusted, 
which will meet the Divine approval. 

If in simplicity, and without thinking of ourselves, we do 
the best we can, not failing to look in earnest prayer to Him, 
who has promised to supply all our need, and who doeth for 
His children according to their faith in Him, the work He 
has for each of us to do, will surely be accomplished. 

Another very important requisite in a teacher is punctu- 
ality. It has been humiliating to me to draw this comparison 
in my own mind. I am a director of an insurance company, 
where it is the custom to pay the directors who are present 
at the hour of meeting. It is very rare that any one enters 
after the hour. How nimble-footed we are when a small 
pecuniary advantage would be jeopardized by delay. But 
what heavy steps we, drag after us, when nothing but our 
Master's service, or the salvation of a soul, invites us to effort. 
I believe a right apprehension of duty would constrain us to 
be punctually at our places, whatever else we might be 
obliged to forego. 
5 



9 8 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



A careful record should be kept of the scholars by the 
teachers and superintendents, and a systematic and faithful 
visitation maintained. 

By this means, teachers will have the opportunity of 
learning the condition of their scholars at home, and the 
influences surrounding them. Thus they will be better in- 
formed as to the mode of treatment required by each one. 
The co-operation of the parents may also be secured, and by 
occasionally ministering to their necessities, or advising or 
sympathizing with them, a strong hold may be obtained on 
them and their children. 

Doubtless the patience of teachers will often be severely 
tried. But the habit of scolding, or the manifestation of im- 
patience, will thwart the work. Children are keen observers, 
they look for consistency. Be careful to maintain proper 
order, but not at the expense of a hasty word. 

Gentleness of manner, kind and persuasive looks, cannot 
be persevered in without beneficial results, and the spirit of 
love and subordination will pervade the school. 

A kind reproof, fitly spoken, will oftener cure an unruly 
member than severe censure. 

Said the Teacher, who came from God, " Without me ye 
can do nothing," and however faithfully and zealously we 
may plant and water, let us ever bear in mind that God only 
can give the increase. Our teaching cannot reach the heart 
unless accompanied by the teaching of the Holy Spirit. 
And shall we not be very earnest in prayer for the blessing 
which God is so ready to give to His believing children ? 

The Lord Jesus said, " I am the vine, ye are the branches." 
But we sometimes forget that we are not each of us a 
distinct and separate vine. We lose the idea of our union 
with the Master, and try unaided and alone, to bring forth 
fruit to His glory. Is it strange we utterly fail in the at- 
tempt ? 



UXDER HIS WINGS. 99 

The one object in teaching is to bring souls to Christ. 
Every lesson should be as a round in the ladder to conduct 
these young immortals to the celestial glory. Do not forget 
in teaching, to draw all your lessons from the cross, and 
around all let there be this inscription, " Behold the Lamb of 
God." 

Among the young teachers, was one in whom he 
felt a great interest, desiring she might know the 
Lord Jesus to be her full and perfect Saviour. 

Many were their conversations, and earnest were 
his prayers, both with and for her ; and when she 
found peace at the foot of the Cross, no one re- 
joiced more fully in her joy. 

She thus expresses her gratitude to him : 

My dear friend : — For such thou truly art, and I shall 
ever consider thee one of my nearest and dearest friends. 

I have feared in thinking of it, that thou might think I 
was too certain of my happiness, and that it might not prove 
lasting. Oh, I hope my Saviour will condescend so much, 
as to continue to bestow upon me that blessing which He 
has already allowed me to taste of. 

I know I shall be subject to a great many temptations, 
from which no one can keep me but Him who is ever-pow- 
erful and ever-present. 

Please do not forget me, dear friend, in thy prayers, and 
do ask, that I may be kept from temptation. If my prayers 
for thee will in the least repay thee for the trouble I have 
given thee, they will be given, oh, so willingly, and may they 
be answered, even though coming from me, so unworthy. 

Thy loving young friend, E. 



IOO UNDER HIS WINGS. 

The blessing was not, as she feared, ephemeral ; but 
for the remaining years of her life, the seed bore 
precious fruit. The centre of a large circle, loving 
and beloved, she used her influence for the promo- 
tion of the right ; and as she grew in the knowl- 
edge of Christ, the Christian graces were beau- 
tifully brought out in her character. 

Loving Him who died for her, she sought to 
labor in His vineyard, and as long as her health 
permitted, she taught a large infant class in Friends' 
Mission School in New York, and was actively en- 
gaged in promoting that work by every means in 
her power. 

But consumption marked her for its victim, and 
her friend sorrowfully watched her gradual decay, 
little thinking he would be first in the Heavenly 
Home. She was nearing the close of life when the 
accident which caused his death occurred, and was 
so distressed by the intelligence, that the fatal result 
was never communicated to her. 

A fortnight more, and teacher and scholar were 
both in the presence of the Lord whom they loved, 
and united in the endless strain of thanksgiving 
ascending to the Lord God Almighty. 

He realized most fully that it is not by might nor 
by power, but by the energizing operation of the 
Holy Ghost, that any service can be performed, and 
he earnestly sought to be filled with the Spirit. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. IOI 

He also remembered that no unnecessary miracles 
will be wrought, but that the servant of the Lord is to 
use all the means in his power to increase his useful- 
ness. Many hours each week were spent in the prep- 
aration of the Bible-lesson. Scripture was compared 
with Scripture, and all the accompanying circum- 
stances brought out that might elucidate the subject. 
He was often laughingly accused of being nothing 
but a first-day school superintendent, but his feeling 
was that " the Power who commanded the service 
required that it should be well done. ,, 

His constant end and ami w T as to show Jesus in 
every lesson. He delighted to consider the Bible, 
from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revela- 
tions, as a history of God's love in Jesus Christ. And, 
watching over the young souls before him as those for 
whom he must give account, he sought to lead them 
to a sense of their need as sinners, and to God's all- 
sufficient remedy. 

His genial manners and kindly greeting attracted 
both teachers and scholars, while his simple teaching, 
the result of patient, laborious study, made the sub- 
ject clear to the youngest person. Many can testify 
f to his wonderful earnestness, as he told, in touching 
language, the marvelous story of the cross, dwelling 
upon the fulness of the love of Christ, which meets 
and encircles every child, and which bore such rich 
fruit in his own heart and life. 



IQ 2 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

The following note, addressed to him by a class 
whom he had taken during the absence of their 
regular teacher, will show his power of winning the 
love of his school : 

New York, 5 rno., 23, 1854. — We, the undersigned, grate- 
fully acknowledge thy very kind care and interest in us 
during the past winter. We wish to express our thankfulness 
to thee for thy attention to our class, and for the pains thou 
hast taken in various ways to interest and instruct us. 

The principles we have been taught, we trust, will never 
be forgotten, but will be treasured up and thought of many 
times in after years. 

And, in conclusion, we would say that our feeble petition 
shall not cease to be offered up to God for a blessing upon 
the school and the right guidance and support of its much- 
loved superintendent. 

Most sincerely thy friends and scholars, 

7V" 7T W w W TV* 7T 

With a desire of increasing his influence over the 
children, he assiduously cultivated a faculty of 
amusing them, and at the picnics and festivals joined 
in their games with such zest, that " Mr. Murray" 
was always in demand. 

Sometimes the parties were at his own house, 
which was thrown open from basement to attic, and 
filled with merry children. And before the evening 
was over, by a few fitly-spoken words, he would 
turn the attention to Him who was ever ready to go 



UXDER HIS WINGS. 1.03 

wherever His presence was sought, and who not 
only comforts in sorrow, but adds a zest to joy. 

He writes, 8 mo., 14, i860 : 

I can thankfully acknowledge that I have never been 
favored with nearer access to the throne of grace than of 
late, and earnest prayers have, I trust, arisen, that I might 
know a full reconciliation with God through a Saviour's 
blood. 

The coming winter will, I believe, bring work with it. 
Not only our first-day school, but a Bible-class for young 
men, is very much on my mind. 

I am oppressed with a feeling of my peculiar incapacity 
for labor in such fields as these, and perhaps the willingness 
of the heart may be accepted, and more able laborers be 
called into the service. Yet I have craved that whatever 
little talent I have, of whatever kind, may to the fullest 
extent be developed and sanctified to the Redeemer's cause, 
under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The exhortation of 
the Apostle is much with me — "Covet earnestly the best 
gifts." 

The motive power of his service is shown in a little 
incident he made use of to illustrate to the school the 
words of our Lord, "Wist ye not that I must be 
about my Father's business/' 

Don't think you are too young to serve the Lord. Does 
not God, by the little coral insects, build islands in the 
ocean, form oaks of acorns, and water the world with drops 
of rain ? 

Boys and girls are not thought too young to be about 
Satan's business, or the business of life. They carry news- 



104 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



papers, serve in our shops, and set type for printers. It 
would astonish you to know how largely little hands and 
little heads add to the wealth of the greatest nations. 

And is our Father's business the only one in which they 
have no part ? Was not a Hebrew maid sent to comfort 
Naaman the Syrian ? Was not His instrument to warn Eli, 
the child Samuel ? A youth, with a ruddy countenance, the 
means of slaying the defiant Goliah ? And who brought the 
loaves and fishes for feeding the 5,000 but a little boy ? 

To be about your Father's business must be your first 
consideration. It will not require such sacrifices as it did 
of the Lord Jesus ; but whatever it does demand of us, — 
sacrifices of feeling, or of friendship, or of self-gratification, — 
our determination to do this business should take us away 
from all that would hinder us. 

I know of a man who was asked, when a boy, by his 
mother, because she thought he had too much spare time, to 
make her an arm-chair. He hardly knew how to use a tool ; 
but, from the love he bore his mother, he set to work. For 
months he toiled, first at the lathe, and then with a knife, 
till he succeeded in making the chair. 

Now, that was mother-love, the thought of gratifying her, 
of receiving her approving smile, which taught his unskilled 
hands their cunning and made the drudgery so light. 
Should we not adapt this secret to our Father's business, 
and do cheerfully what we could not otherwise do, for 
Christ's sake ? The mother could not teach her boy to 
perform the service required, but the Holy Spirit is ready 
to teach every one of us how to perform our Father's 
business. 

If you love Him, then what is there you will not do for 
Him ? 

His thorough identification with the Bible School 



UXDER HIS WINGS. I0 j 

work, and his readiness to meet any demands upon 
him, encouraged many young teachers to apply to 
him for advice and assistance. This was cheerfully 
and judiciously rendered, and in his replies he asked 
for ability from the Lord to give counsel suitable for 
the occasion. 

A young teacher who was carrying on a First-day 
School, almost single-handed, wrote to him asking 
for some simple commentary on the Gospels. He 
sent Longking's Notes, with the following letter : 

New York, 12 mo-, 12, 1867 I have just procured 

the Notes on the Gospels, which I send by express, and hope 
they will reach thee in time for First-day. They will give 
thee in brief form much valuable information, when geogra- 
phy, and the manners and customs of the East throw light 
upon the text ; but allow me to suggest to thee, not to de- 
pend too much on the Notes, but examine carefully all the 
parallel passages and references, and thou wilt find in this 
way the Bible itself is its own best commentary. 

On the subject of water baptism, and kindred points, on 
which we, as Friends, differ from nearly all other religious 
denominations, thou wilt not, of course, expect to find our 
views in the Notes. I have, therefore, put into the package, 
a copy of the " Old Banner Essay," on the subject, which is 
brief and to the point. 

I think if thou wilt read it carefully, keeping in mind that 
the dispensation our Saviour introduced He emphatically 
declared to be spiritual in its nature, as distinguished from 
the types and shadows of the preceding one, all which were 
fulfilled in Him ; thou wilt find thyself thoroughly furnished 
to meet the present and any future inquiry upon the subject. 
5* 



I06 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

I shall often think of thee, my dear friend, and have 
prayed for thee, that thou may be an instrument in His 
hands, whom I know thou increasingly desires to love and 
serve, in spreading among those within the sphere of thy use- 
fulness, a clearer knowledge of the Gospel of our dear Lord 
and Saviour, divested of all forms and formality whether of 
our own or of others. 

I shall be delighted to hear from thee at any time, and 
render thee any assistance in my power. 

His black-board sermons were very simple, yet 
effective. The important thought in the lesson was 
written upon the board before the school commenced, 
that all present could bear it in mind. Then, in his 
remarks at the close, a few illustrations rapidly 
sketched, made the teaching more impressive. 

At a conference in New Bedford, Mass., he was 
called upon to give some specimens of black-board 
teaching, and the following synopsis of his remarks 
is taken from the Report of the Conference : 

His first illustration was drawn from the history of the 
Exodus. 

Drawing a sketch of the geographical outline of the coun- 
try through which the children of Israel journeyed before 
they reached Mount Sinai, and marking upon it the 
principal stages of their route, he then converted the whole 
audience temporarily into a Bible class, questioning them as 
to the different events and localities. Having in this manner 
fixed these clearly in their minds, he drew an instructive 
parallel between this eventful march, and the experience of 
the Christian in the journey of life, his deliverance from the 
bondage of sin, and his dependence upon the Lord. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



107 



And, dear fellow teachers, he continued, are there any 
of you who, having given yourselves to God, and accepted 
His free salvation, have for a while rejoiced in the assurance 
of His pardoning love ; but afterwards, have you been so be- 
set by the temptations of the flesh and of the devil, as to 
be ready to conclude you are not the children of the Lord ? 
Ah ! how was it with these children of Israel ? Was it not 
after their deliverance from Egypt that Amalek fought 
against them? And here they were not to stand still, but to 
contend, while Moses interceded for them. So, while it is 
only the Christian who can know, as at Mara, of bitter things 
being made sweet ; only the Christian who is led, as at Elim, 
into the green pastures and beside the still waters ; only the 
Christian who can feed upon Him who declares, " I am 
the bread that cometh down from God out of Heaven ;" only 
the Christian who can drink of the living water which He 
gives; yet is his life a continual warfare, which will never 
cease till his feet press the border of Jordan. But, thanks 
be to God, the arms of our Intercessor never hang down nor 
become weary, and, as our eyes continue fixed on Him, our 
victory is sure. 

Another illustration. Suppose we wished to make plain 
the relative position of faith and works in the Christian's ex- 
perience. Will you tell me what is the foundation of all true 
Christian character? Answer, Faith. Faith in what? An- 
swer, Christ. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation. 
Will you give me a text proving this ? Several were quoted, 
and in a few moments the one desired was drawn from the 
audience. " For other foundation can no man lay than that 
is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. iii. 11. (The founda- 
tion of a building was then drawn on the black-board). 

Now, we all know it is important for a building to have 
a good foundation ; but, does not the fact of a foundation 
imply that there must be a superstructure ? Will you give 



108 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

me some texts showing that this must be the case with him, 
who is on Christ the foundation ? The following were 
among the answers given : " Rooted and built up in Him." 
" Building up yourselves on your most holy faith." " But 
grow in grace." " Show me thy faith without thy works, and 
I will show thee my faith by my works." " If we live in the 
spirit, let us also walk in the spirit." " Leaving the prin- 
ciples of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection," 
etc., etc. Very good; we must then "go on." There must 
be a bitilding upon the foundation. 

But what does the Apostle tell us to take heed about. An- 
swer, " But let every man take heed how he buildeth there- 
upon." Yes, — some have built upon the good foundation, a 
superstructure of erroneous practice, in consequence of 
which their Christian character has been dwarfed. Instead 
of glorifying God in their lives, they have been stumbling- 
blocks in the way of others ; and when death overtakes them, 
instead of knowing an entrance being ministered unto them 
abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ, they are saved, we have a right to be- 
lieve, because on the Foundation, but saved " so as by fire." 

Therefore, we must take heed how we build. May we 
then say to ourselves, — " Well ! I am on the Foundation, and 
if the graces of the Spirit are to be brought forth in me, the 
Spirit must do the work, I cannot;" and so go to our farms 
and our merchandise, and think no more about it ? Ah ! what 
does Paul say about giving diligence ? Answer, " Give dil- 
igence to make your calling and election sure." Yes, give 
diligence ; and if we are not doing this, we may well fear 
that we are not upon the Foundation at all. 

Let us then proceed to build. 

The Apostle Peter has some practical directions for us. 
He says, " Giving all diligence, add to your faith," what ? 
Answer, Virtue. And to virtue ? Answer, Knowledge. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



IO9 



As one by one these additions were given, as recorded in 
2 Peter i. 5-7, they were placed, like stories to the building, 
on the black-board, with the initial letter in each. 

A teacher would here have a good opportunity to illustrate 
the nature and importance of the virtues. For instance, 
Temperance, — not only to be temperate in drinking, but in 
eating, in language, in behavior; for the disciple of the Lord 
Jesus is to be " temperate in all things." Or, taking, the 
word in its ordinary occupation, how often we see those ad- 
dicted to the vice of intemperance, signing the " pledge," 
fully realizing that their health, their pocket, their social 
position, their hopes for time and for eternity, depend upon 
keeping it, and yet they fail to do so. Why ? Because they 
are not on the Foundation. They are resolving in their own 
strength instead of " looking unto Jesus," humbly relying on 
Him for help. 

Again, charity or love, the top stone, if this be wanting, 
the Foundation must be wanting too. For what does the 
Apostle James say? " He that saith, I love God, and hate 
his brother, is a liar." The lesson was then reviewed, the 
whole audience repeating in concert, first the foundation 
text, " other foundation," etc., then " giving all diligence, add 
to your faith, virtue ; to virtue, knowledge ; to knowledge, 
temperance ; to temperance, patience ; to patience, godliness ; 
to godliness, brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kindness, 
charity." 

The next illustration showed how the memory of texts 
could be aided and strengthened by the use of the black- 
board. Writing down on the board the word careth, as the 
leading word of the text " Casting all your care upon Him? 
for He careth for you," and under it the leading words of 
eight other texts of a similar purport, the class was desired 
to recall, and repeat each text entire from the word so writ- 
ten. Then, all but the first letter of each word was erased, 



1 10 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

and the texts again called for, and readily repeated by many 
of the audience in concert. 

The texts selected for this lesson were such as represented 
the Lord Jesus Christ in the endearing relation of a com- 
forter, and the initial letters remaining on the board were 
found to spell that name. 

But the simplest use of the black-board, he continued, and 
often the most effective, is to place upon it, before the eyes 
of the whole school, a text containing the central thought 
of the lesson. Suppose, for instance, the lesson for the 
school to be Mark xii. 41-44, " And Jesus sat over against 
the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the 
treasury." The superintendent will place upon the board the 
words, " and Jesus beheld," as I now do. Under the faithful 
teaching in the classes, the children will have grasped the 
spirit of the lesson, and when again assembled before the 
desk in response to the question, " What do we learn from 
the lesson of to-day ?" a dozen or more voices will be pretty 
sure to respond, " That God sees and knows everything ; 
that he is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the 
heart." The words written on the board will be a constant 
reminder of this, and cannot fail of impressing the lesson 
upon the minds of the children. 

But, dear fellow teachers, can you draw a lesson from the 
words upon the board ? Is there any one of you who, last 
week, with difficulty secured a few hours for the study of 
your First-day School lesson, taking them from your daily 
labor, your recreation, or your sleep? "Jesus beheld!" 
When First-day morning came, resisting the temptation to 
self-indulgence, did you rise early, that your needful home 
duties might be all performed, and you be able to meet your 
class betimes ? " Jesus beheld !" When there, though greatly 
tried by the restlessness, or inattention, or perversity of some 
of your scholars, did you still labor on perseveringly, prayer- 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 1 1 1 

fully j in a measure of' the meekness and gentleness of Christ ? 
Ah ! " Jesus beheld !" and did not withhold His blessing. 

A few practical remarks on the necessity and right con- 
duct of teachers' meetings may be helpful. 

During the latter part of the life of that great statesman, 
Daniel Webster, a gentleman put to him the question, " Mr. 
Webster, what is the greatest thought that ever occupied 
your mind?" and you may imagine the expression of his 
face and the tone of his voice as he replied, " The greatest 
thought that ever occupied my mind was my individual ac- 
countability to God." Now, dear friends, if we all realized 
this individual accountability, I believe, in the first place, when 
a Friend is asked to take charge of a class in a First-day 
School, there would not be so many to say, " Oh, I dare not 
take the responsibility; it is too great for me" — as if to 
evade the discharge of duty relieves us from accountability. 
Instead of that, why should we not. with all our weakness 
and unworthiness, endeavor to do the best we can, looking 
to the Lord for help? And so too with our teachers. If 
we realize this accountability, I believe we shall feel it to 
be our bounden duty to avail ourselves of every means which 
our Heavenly Father places within our reach, to enable us 
efficiently to do our whole work for Him. And among these 
means, I have no hesitation in ranking as the foremost the 
Teachers' Meeting. I believe that those who have had 
the opportunity of observation, will unquestionably say that 
wherever you see a live, earnest teachers' meeting, there you 
will almost inevitably find an earnest, live, and successful 
school. And as a usual tiling, wherever you see a teacher 
determined at all times to attend a teachers' meeting, there 
you will find an earnest and devoted worker. " Oh," some 
will say, " these meetings are not interesting," and " I can 
study my lessons at home better," and "I cannot afford the 
time." But, dear friends, have we no duties beside those to 



II2 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

our class ? Have we no duty to the superintendent ? — none 
to our fellow-teachers ? — none to the school at large ? It 
appears to me that if each teacher, however earnest and zeal- 
ous, was confined, as he or she would be in such a state of 
affairs, to a mere attendance in his or her particular class, a 
school would be very much like what we might picture these 
United States to be in case the Rebellion had been success- 
ful, each State by itself, and no unity whatever. 

We are to be helpers one of another, and the free inter- 
change of thought and difficulties may be very helpful. 
And here I can tell a fact which occurred a short time ago 
in a teachers' meeting not far from where I reside. A young 
woman who had a class of thirteen was asked what she was 
going to do, to have better order in her class. " Oh," she 
said, " I have tried almost everything, and do not yet see any 
improvement ; but now I have laid it before my Heavenly 
Father in prayer, and I want you, my fellow-teachers, to 
unite with me in asking the Lord to help me to control the 
minds of those children so that they will be more tractable, 
and I may be a blessing to them. ,, The next week the 
teacher was able to report, she thought there was quite a de- 
cided improvement in the conduct of her boys, and four 
weeks after that she reported that six of those unruly boys 
were really converted to God. Thus perhaps fifteen or twenty 
minutes could be passed in conversation about the efforts 
and experience of the teachers, to the^ edification of each 
other. 

We assume that a general lesson for the whole school is 
adopted as a matter of course ; for I suppose there is no 
school that ever has tried it which would use any other plan. 
The teachers would have prepared their lessons thoroughly 
at home, of course, and after giving it due care and atten- 
tion there, had come to examine it together. Now as to the 
manner of proceeding, it might be conducted as a lecture ; 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



113 



(though in such a case it would in ninety-nine times out of 
a hundred fail of its object,) or it might be conducted as a 
Bible class. Here again the superintendent might ask of a 
teacher, " James Smith, what dost thou consider the defi- 
nite aim of that particular lesson ?" James Smith would 
state his views, and after him the rest of the teachers. We 
thus get all their views with reference to that point. And 
here you will see that the advantage over a Bible class is, that 
by this means the thoughts of all are elicited for the benefit 
of all. By asking each other how this or that lesson should 
be taught, a great deal of practical information would be ac- 
quired, with a view of conveying the lesson more fully to the 
children. Then too we all know how very powerful and im- 
portant illustration proves to be ; every teacher going before 
his class wants to be supplied with means of illustrating the 
lesson. If A. has an illustration which meets the case, he 
does not lose anything by contributing his knowledge to the 
other teachers ; he can use it just as beneficially for his class 
if all the other teachers have it for theirs. If each teacher 
contributes in this way, each will have a fund to draw upon, 
and will adapt his particular lesson to the needs of his schol- 
ars. Thus all may be able to help one another ; and you 
all know that while one stick of wood will not make much 
of a fire, ten or twenty gathered together will make a lively 
blaze. But the teachers' meeting I am afraid would fall very 
far short did it stop here. And would it stop here, my 
friends, in a company of earnest Christian workers? I be- 
lieve the last fifteen or twenty minutes of the hour would be 
best employed in drawing near to God, asking His blessing 
upon our work and upon the lesson we are about to teach. 
And these opportunities after all will prove to be blessed 
seasons of communion with Him, and one with another. ■ 

Again, in speaking on another occasion of the 
necessity of definiteness of purpose, he says : 



1 14 



UNDER HIS WINGS, 



Suppose a sportsman should go out into the woods to 
shoot, however excellent may be his gun, his ammuni- 
tion, and all his appurtenances, if he fires into a bush, 
he is not going to bring down the game. And even 
if he takes accurate aim, but aims at a knot in a tree, 
he certainly will not bring it down. Now, what is our 
aim ? If I should ask, almost any teacher here would say, ' 
in a general way, " Why, the aim of Sabbath- school instruc- 
tion is the conversion of our scholars." But is that the 
aim to which we are bending all our efforts ? Are we ex- 
pecting that result, and nothing short of it ? If we do not 
aim at that, we need not expect to accomplish it. I have 
seen Bible classes that would have a quite interesting, intel- 
ligent, intellectual investigation of Scripture, and the com- 
pany will go home feeling that they have had a good time ; 
but, after all, what have they done ? There has been a 
lack of personal application to themselves — to the hearts and 
lives of the individuals — of the spirit of the lesson, and 
consequently it fails of its effect. And so of our First-day 
Schools. The class, or the entire school, may be interested, 
but if it is not the aim of the teachers to bring the scholars 
to the Lord Je3us Christ, it fails of its object as a First-day 
School. Now, what are we going to do ? You remember 
that there was a time in 'the life of the Apostle Paul, when, 
bound in chains and under an escort of soldiers, he was being 
taken prisoner to Rome. On the voyage the vessel was 
about to be wrecked. After long fasting and prayer, Paul 
said to the people, " Be of good cheer, for there stood by me 
this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve. 
He said, i Be of good cheer, Paul, thy God hath given thee 
the lives of all them that sail with thee.' ' Here is a lesson 
for First-day School teachers. Let us first be able to say 
with the Apostle, from the very depths of our sanctified 
heart, "Whose I am, and Whom I serve ;" and then, like 



UNDER HIS WINGS. jjt 

him, go to the Lord in earnest believing prayer, and we shall 
receive assur 
sail with us. 



receive assurance that He hath given us the lives of all who 



He fully realized the extent of the commission given 
by our Lord, " Go ye into all the world and preach 
the Gospel to every creature." He was convinced 
that the reflex influence of all mission enterprise 
would strengthen the Church, and labored by ex- 
ample and precept to interest his fellow-members in 
such efforts. We will quote from some of his re- 
marks to a company of Friends on the question, 
" What is the duty and privilege of the Church in 
regard to the Mission School?" 

A Christian pastor once said to me, that when members 
were added to his church, he put to them this question, 
" Brother (or sister), with what department of Christian work 
do you propose to identify yourself?" That a Christian 
should not be engaged actively in some department of Chris- 
tian work, seemed to that beloved brother an impossibil- 
ity. And exercise is necessary to life. If my right arm 
were healthy and strong, and I should hang it up in a sling 
for three months, it would become withered and diseased. 

And so it is in spiritual things. I could point out many 
among my own acquaintances, who have been converted 
through the influence of their labors as teachers in our 
First-day Schools. I, myself, and many others, can trace our 
choicest blessings to our connection with mission-work. 

On the other hand, I could point you to many who have 
left our church years and years ago, who have said to me ' 
" Oh ! if the Society of Friends, years ago, when I was a 
member, had presented these opportunities for Christian 



Il6 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

work and Christian activity, which they now present, I never 
would have left them." If there are any here who have not 
heard the words of the Saviour : " Go ye also into the vine- 
yard and labor;" who are satisfying yourselves with giving 
all your strength, time, and energy to the pursuit of the 
things of this life — God may give you the desires of your 
hearts ; but, oh, terrible alternative, leanness will surely de- 
scend into your own souls. These opportunities are not 
only a privilege, but they are a Christian duty. 

A missionary to India said to me two or three years ago, 
that he was standing one evening upon the banks of the Gan- 
ges, and he saw an intelligent-looking native who had two 
little boats, upon which he had put lights, and had started 
them floating upon the river. The missionary asked him 
what the boats were for. " Oh !" said he, " my father died two 
years ago, and I want him to have a little light in that dark 
land where he has gone ; and my wife died last year, and I 
want her to have a little light in that dark land where she has 
gone." And at his foot was another little boat, with a light 
on it, all ready to be lit. . The missionary asked him what 
that was for. " Oh!" said he, " I may die this year, and I 
want a little light in th'at dark land where I am going." 

O, dear friends, how thankful it made me feel, that life 
and immortality are brought to light through the Gospel ! 

The types of the Old Testament were beautifully alluded 
to last night, but I thought of some to which no allusion was 
made. You remember what the furniture of the court of the . 
Tabernacle was. There was the table of shew-bread, which 
set forth Jesus as the bread of life. The compound article, 
made of the fine flour and water, was necessary to show the 
twofold character, the Divine and the human, in our blessed 
Lord. It was for the nourishment of the priests, who would 
otherwise have been unable to perform the service of the 
Lord. Then there was the curtain between the two divisions 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



117 



of the Tabernacle, and Christ set forth in the color of it 
which was blue, and purple, and scarlet, fine-twined linen 
with a thread of interwoven gold. The blue represented the 
Heavenly Man, the crimson, the suffering Man, and the pur- 
ple, the royal Man. The fine-twined linen, pure and white, 
set forth the purity and acceptableness of His human charac- 
ter as He walked on earth ; and the fine gold, woven through- 
out, showed the intimate blending of the Divine and the hu- 
man. Then there was the golden 'altar, upon which the in- 
cense was daily offered up, representing the intercession of 
our dear Lord. Then all the furniture and the material of 
which the Tabernacle was composed set forth the Lord in all 
His varied offices. In this room no natural light was admitted, 
for there were four thicknesses of covering. There was no 
light but that which streamed down from the seven-branched 
candlestick ; so infinitely precious is the Lord Jesus to our 
souls ! What would we know of all this if it were not for the 
full and perfect Revelation which God has given us through 
the pages of His blessed Book ? That is the Bible that God 
has given to His Church as a legacy, as His chosen instru- 
mentality in the conversion of the world. His message is : 
" Go, teach all nations;" not only the nations on the other 
side of the world, but the " Arab " that is at our very gates. 
"Go, and teach!" How? By seeking the blessing of the 
Lord upon our work. Here is a field for mission work for 
every one of us. God grant that you and I may be faithful 
to our calling in this direction, that we may receive our sKare 
in the blessed benediction : " Lo ! I am with you alway, even 
to the end of the world." 

The following extract was found in his pocket- 
book, and shows the source of his. strength : 

Our commission from the Lord, 
" Feed my lambs." 



H8 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

Our motive power, 

" Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least 
of these ye have done it unto Me." 
Our responsibility, 

" For they watch for your souls as they that must 
give account, that they may do it with joy and not 
with grief." 
Our strength, 

" Our sufficiency is of God." 

" I can do all things through Christ which strength- 
ened me." 
Our preparation, 

" Study to show thyself approved unto God, a work- 
man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly divid- 
ing the word of truth." 
Our success, 

" He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious 
seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, 
bringing his sheaves with him." 



CHAPTER VII. 

TT has been said that u there are two distinct states 
and relations, in which the believer in Christ 
may be contemplated. In the one state, he has re- 
pented of sin, believed to the saving of his soul, 
entertains sincere purposes of obedience, and is not 
unfruitful in good works. In the other, he has all 
these, with the power of the Spirit superadded. In 
the one condition, there is sinning and repenting, 
thirsting for Christ, and as the Apostle expresses it, 
* without are fightings, within are fears/ ' 

In the other, the dependent soul realizes his suf- 
ficiency to be of God, and that he can do ail things 
through Christ who strengthened him. In the 
midst of temptation, trial and sorrow, there is such a 
soul-rest in the consciousness of God's power, that 
the exultant cry arises, " Victory, victory, through 
the blood of the Lamb." 

Thus it was with the subject of this memoir. In 
following him through his life, it is impossible to 
doubt his being a child of God, redeemed by the 
blood of the Lamb, yet it is equally plain that for 

("9) 



120 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

years there were longings yet unsatisfied ; that he 
had not yet fully entered into the rest prepared for 
the people of God. 

Led and guided by the Spirit of God, working 
earnestly in His cause, he did not realize the abiding 
presence of the Comforter in his heart. But in his 
earnest study of the Scriptures, and his desire to 
convince the children of the Sabbath-school, of the 
all-sufficieney of a Saviour's love, he was taught 
himself. 

The Holy Spirit taking of the things of Christ 
and showing them unto the earnest worker, wit- 
nessed of Him as a perfect Saviour, redeeming not 
only from the guilt of sin, but also from its power; — 
as One who died for us at Calvary, but who rose 
again and ascended into Heaven, there to make inter- 
cession for His people, and strengthen them by the 
abiding presence of His Spirit. 

The veil was now rent, and in the acceptance 
of God as his reconciled Father in Christ Jesus, 
peace flowed in his heart as a river, never hereafter 
to ebb and flow with the tide of feeling, but as a 
perennial spring, ever bubbling up in his heart. 
The promises of God became more real, his fellow- 
ship with the Father and the Son increased, and 
knowing, as he never had done before, the love 
of Christ which passeth understanding, the days of 
his mourning for more communion with Him were 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 121 

ended. In his public and private ministrations, he 
delighted in testifying to the fulness of the blessing, 
received by the simple-hearted believer, often quot- 
ing Faber's lines : 

" If our" faith was but more simple, 

We should take Him at His word ; 
And our lives would be all sunshine, 
In the gladness of our Lord." 

As a natural sequence, his work for the Lord 
was more constant and more successful. The vary- 
ing claims upon him were willingly met, and all, 
whether small or great, performed as to the Lord. 
The Winter of '69 and '70 was one of great activity. 
The church of which he was a member recognizes 
the truth, that under the new dispensation, all the 
redeemed children of the Lord are to be kings and 
priests, and must use the gifts conferred upon them to 
the edification of the body. Thus, any one, either male 
or female, may be required to minister in the sanc- 
tuary ; while the pastoral care of the" flock must 
also devolve upon the individual members. On 
account of the difficulty of procuring comfortable 
homes in the city, which drives many into the neigh- 
boring towns and cities, the membership of New 
York Monthly Meeting is scattered over a large 
field, embracing Brooklyn, Flushing, Jersey City, etc. 

In consequence of the distance, very many are pre- 
6 



122 - UNDER HIS WINGS. 

vented from meeting with their fellow-believers in 
the accustomed place, either in New York or 
Brooklyn, and feel almost as strangers in their own 
church. 

Ardently desiring a blessing might rest upon his 
own branch of the Christian Church, and feeling 
sympathy for these isolated members, Robt. Lindley 
Murray proposed in one of the business meetings of 
the church, the appointment of a committee, whose 
especial ' work it should be, " to comfort the heart 
of the stranger, to endeavor to win souls to Christ, 
and to build up in the most holy faith those who 
love His name." This was cordially responded to 
by Friends, the committee appointed, and since that 
time the labor in that field has been continued. 

Into this work he threw himself with his character- 
istic earnestness. A prayer-meeting was held every 
week through the Winter, at the houses of different 
members, when the promise of the Lord to be with 
His waiting children was fulfilled. 

Gatherings were also held in other places. As 
many of the scattered members as possible, together 
with the committee, assembled at some convenient 
locality, and an evening was spent in social and 
religious communion. These occasions served to 
brighten the chain of fellowship, while the bond oi 
union in Christ Jesus was strengthened. Another 
evening was devoted to a Bible-class, of which he 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 1 23 

was the leader, and for which he made careful prep- 
aration. Speaking of one of these meetings, 2d mo., 
1870, he says: 

Fourth day we had a large, interesting Bible-class. I 
had proposed the previous week that we should take up 
the subject of justification by faith, and study the teaching 
of the whole Bible upon it, beginning with Genesis. My 
idea was, that many would be astonished to find this doc- 
trine so fully and clearly shadowed forth, in the dealings of 
the Almighty with His creatures in the early ages, as well as 
in the types and ceremonies of the Levitical code. 

We had a most interesting lesson to begin with from the 
Third of Genesis. A very prayerful spirit covered the class ; 
vocally expressed by three different members during the 
evening. Next week we take the sacrifices of Cain and Abel. 

At the close of one of these gatherings, a young 
woman stopped him, and with tears, thanked him for 
having helped her so much by his teaching. She 
said she was just learning to follow Jesus, and the 
truths she had there heard had been a strength and 
comfort to her, which she hoped long to remember. 

In the course of this Winter, he received a letter 
from a friend in a neighboring city, requesting his 
care and interest on behalf of a young man who had 
lately settled in New York, and who was greatly 
exercised on account of his soul's salvation. 

His low estimate of himself is evident from the 
manner in which he speaks of this incident : 



124 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



i mo.<> nth 1870. There are poor struggling souls all 
around me, I expect, and in but few instances do I have the 
faculty of getting hold of them. I believe there is no unwil- 
lingness to do the Lord's work, if He will only show me how, 
and I do pray Him to show me. The fields are white unto 
the harvest, and I never more painfully realized the fewness 
of effective laborers ; but I thank God, He is qualifying some 
among us for greater usefulness. 

But not satisfied with praying, that laborers should 
be sent into the harvest-field, the willing response 
from his own heart was, " Here am I, send me." 

He called upon the young man, carrying the tidings 
he so loved to tell, of " the Lamb of God who taketh 
away the sins of the world." The call was repeated, 
and kneeling side by side, the elder brother poured 
out his prayer for the young penitent. The strug- 
gling soul found peace, and casting away from every- 
thing which had hindered him, he rose up and fol- 
lowed Jesus. 

His friend encouraged him to show his love for his 
new Master by service for Him, gave him a class in 
his Sabbath-school, which was faithfully 7 attended to. 
In the prayer-meetings also, he had the satisfaction 
of hearing him testify to the blessing he had received, 
while the daily life of the young disciple told that he 
had been with Jesus. Their intercourse during the 
Winter was sweet ; but as Spring came, the young 
man was obliged to go away 7 in search of health. 
The search was fruitless, the Lord had need of'him 



UXDER HIS WINGS. I2 J 

in the courts above, and before another Winter, he 
was laid away, testifying to the last, of the great 
mercy of God in Christ Jesus. 

Another work of faith to which R. L. M. felt 
called, and in which he found, as do all who follow 
the guidance of the Holy Spirit — his way prepared 
before him, will be best described in a letter to his 
wife : 

$d mo., 19, 1870. I must tell thee of a labor of love 
into which the Lord has led me, and which He has crowned 
with so rich a blessing, that I could hardly sleep, for the 
songs in the night, with which my heart has been filled. 
During the whole Winter, the teachers of our school have 
been resting more than ever on my heart, and have been the 
subject of my earnest prayers. At the opening of this week 
it felt to me that it would be right to call personally upon 
each one of them. 

This I have been doing, asking the Lord's blessing upon 
the visits as one by one they have been made. In every 
case, I found that the Lord had gone before me, and now we 
are a united band. All have dedicated themselves to the 
Lord, have taken Jesus for their Saviour and their King, and 
resolved, for the remainder of their lives, to seek to please 
Him. As thou may imagine, some of these little opportu- 
nities were most solemn and touching. 

He was eminently qualified to call on the lonely 
and the wandering, his kindly spirit and genial man- 
ners winning their way into the most reserved hearts. 
Besides this, his consciousness of the rest to be found 
in Jesus, enabled him to speak powerfully of the all- 



126 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

sufficiency of a Saviours love. These calls were 
made in privacy, none knowing of the object, and 
their full effect can never be known in this life. 

But besides all these claims made upon him by the 
Church, his business required his daily care, and it 
was wonderful to see how much could be accomplished 
by steady perseverance and systematic industry. 

While his Christian experience was thus becoming 
more rich and fruitful, there was yet one more step 
taken, which was productive of great joy to him. 

The path in which he walked was by no means a 
smooth one. He had been subjected to reverses and 
difficulties in his business life, and though he could 
trust in his God with childlike confidence, for his 
salvation, all care had not been cast upon Him. 

It pleased the Lord to lead his servant into still 
closer union with Himself, and enable him not only 
to rest in the full assurance of being a child, but also 
to commit unto a covenant-keeping God, the disposal 
of all his temporal concerns. 

The account of the means used in conferring this 
blessing is given by one who was as a brother beloved, 
and with whom he often held sweet communion : 

It is well known that the vicissitudes, trials, and changes in 
his temporal career were many; but through all, his unswerv- 
ing honesty of purpose, and his Christian patience and 
fortitude, were so marked, as to cause strangers to query after 
the hiding of his power. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



127 



It was not, however, until the Spring of 1871, that he fully- 
learned the simple, beautiful, and important lesson of casting 
all his burdens on the Lord, and living free from anxious 
care, as so fully enjoined upon the believer, 1 Pet. v. 7;. 
Phil. iv. 6-7, etc. ; and I believe it would glorify the Lord 
for me to briefly state the instrumentality used in bringing 
about this blessed experience. At that time we occupied the 
same office ; he in the commencement of a new, and at the 
time rather trying business, while I was employed in the 
endeavor to build up a new, upon the wreck of an old busi- 
ness, so that though the lines of business were different, our 
temporal situation, and the lines of our experience were suf- 
ficiently alike, for us to become very closely allied in interest 
and sympathy, knowing as we did so much of each other's 
disappointments and successes, etc. About this time, in 
connection with the " Faith Home " for the fallen and lost 
in Water street, the dear minister upon whom — as the instru- 
ment — the burden of this work rested, opened a " Consecra- 
tion and faith," or u Holiness" Meeting, held each second day 
(Monday) afternoon ; one chief object being united prayer 
for the necessary support and success of that noble Mission. 
The meetings, like everything connected with this work, were 
held in a very unostentatious way, no advertisement except 
as one friend spoke to another about them. In this w T ay we 
were notified, and found it a blessedly refreshing privilege to 
steal away from business a little while, to commune with the 
Lord, and the dear faith band of His children, who were 
about to meet there. Here we first saw illustrated the prac- 
tical reality of full trust in a living Christ ; the servant of 
the Lord alluded to, and others connected with the work, so 
dependent for daily supplies and everything, and yet so 
trustful and joyful in the Lord ; often rejoicing with tearful 
gratitude at the marvelous answers to their prayers of faith; 
then the experiences given in the Meetings were so teaching 



I2 8 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

and in such full accord with our theoretical belief, that we 
were greatly impressed and instructed. And O ! what a joy- 
ful step it was, when on one of these occasions dear Robert 
Lindley so definitely cut the last thread of unbelief by 
■publicly consecrating all even his cares to the Lord ; and as 
we walked back to our office rejoicing together, his plans 
were laid with that sense of conservative delicacy that from 
education characterized most every act, to have his dear wife 
go there and share too in such an inestimable blessing. 

The result of this step of faith in his after-experience was 
manifest to those who mingled with him in secular or Chris- 
tian effort, even to many unacquainted with the secret or 
cause thereof. He was always patient and loving, so that 
scarce a word of complaint passed his lips ; but not unfre- 
quently prior to this experience, his sad, pensive counte- 
nance evinced the pain and care that his heart felt ; after this, 
however, though his trials and surroundings were much the 
same, there w r as a serenity, and mostly a joy of countenance 
and expression, that indicated the deep settled peace, and ab- 
sence of carking care that pervaded his trusting life. So mark- 
ed was this sweet spirit of rest and trust, that though engaged 
in a business that required much persistency, owing to 
strong and sometimes unprincipled competition, it was fre- 
quently remarked by those who would refuse a hearing to 
others engaged in the same business, that they liked to see 
him, his manner and conversation being a source of enjoy- 
ment and encouragement to them. 

Many of us have occasion to know how remarkably this 
was the case in his Christian work, and though sometimes 
misunderstood both as to his motives and methods, how 
practical and sweet his joyful trust life was. 

In the Spring of 1871, he was appointed clerk of 
New York Yearly Meeting, and filled the office great- 



UNDER HIS WINGS. I2 g 

ly to the satisfaction of his friends. One of them thus 
speaks of his service : 

I am sure I never knew his equal in his well-balanced 
mental organization, and no one, I think, who has ever seen 
him presiding as clerk of New York Yearly Meeting, softly 
holding the reins of any important discussion in humble 
submission to the Divine Leadership,' recognized by all, 
gently turning aside a hasty or ill-timed proposal, slowly 
gathering the prevailing sense of the meeting, fairly esti- 
mating and stating any opinions, that perhaps were known 
to be entirely opposed to his own, tenderly and yet firmly 
announcing the evident conclusion, which had been arrived 
at, and finally closing perhaps a most important and agitat- 
ing subject, and passing quietly to another, with the unani- 
mous acquiescence of the meeting in the decision he had 
announced. No one who has witnessed an oft-recurring scene 
like this, could fail to acknowledge the unusual combination 
of executive ability, with Christian meekness, that with the 
Lord's blessing had brought about such a peaceful result. 

A little incident connected with his position of 
clerk, is given by the same loved friend, from whom 
we have before quoted : 

The morning after he was first appointed clerk, he grasped 
my hand with much feeling when I met him, and said, " I 
want thee to pray especially for me. Last night I allowed 
the responsibility of my position to take too much hold upon 
me, so that I could not sleep/' I replied that I would, and 
that he knew where to cast his care, and to definitely ask the 
Lord to give him rest and sleep. He smiled assent as he pass- 
ed on to his duties. The next morning he came with beam- 
ing countenance to say, " Last night I retired with much the 
6* 



130 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



same feeling as the night before, and I told my dear Saviour 
that He knew I required rest and sleep to fit me for my ser- 
vice for Him, and I asked Him to prepare me for it. In a 
few minutes I was asleep, and never slept sweeter nor rested 
better." Thus did the Lord give His beloved sleep and rest. 

About this time feeling that the Lord had other 
work for him to do, he resigned his position of 
Superintendent of the First-day School in New York. 
This step was not taken without much thought and 
prayer, as his note to the teachers will evince : 

My dear fellow-teachers : — After careful consideration, I 
find it is right for me to forward to you a resignation of my 
position as Superintendent. You will believe that this is not 
prompted by any lessening interest in the school, in which, 
for many years, we have so unitedly labored, nor from any 
desire to withdraw from the Lord's work, whose cause I 
love, and in whose service I delight to be engaged. 

I shall greatly miss the hours of social and religious fel- 
lowship which we have been wont to have together, but be 
assured I shall continue to pray for you, that individually 
you may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ, and dedicating yourselves fully to 
Him, He may make you effective instruments in His hands 
in promoting His kingdom and glory. 

With Christian interest and affection, I remain your 
Friend. 

His fellow-workers accepted this resignation with 
regret, but expressed a desire that he would continue 
to meet with them in their teachers' meetings, which 
he did whenever he was in the city. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. \^\ 

It is the practice among the Society of Friends to 
recognize the gift in the ministry, conferred by the 
Head of the Church, by enrolling the recipient on 
their church-books as a minister of the Gospel. 

During this Summer Robt. Lindley Murray re- 
ceived this formal acknowledgment of the unity of 
his friends in this service for the Lord. 

His earnest, prayerful study of the Scriptures still 
continued, and thus he was enabled to draw from 
a rich treasury of things both new and old, in elu- 
cidation of the subjects presented to his mind. And 
waiting in childlike humility for the enduement ol 
the Holy Spirit, he was enabled to speak a word in 
season to the weary, and point the sinner to Christ. 

In his teaching in the First-day School and in 
the assemblies of the people, Jesus Christ and Him 
crucified was the theme he loved. The complete re- 
demption through a Saviour's blood had long been 
taught, and now with the new experience he had 
gained, he delighted to preach a full salvation, 
and commemorate the keeping pow r er of a perfect 
Saviour. 

In writing to a friend, he gives his view r s in regard 
to this. solemn office: 

7 mo., 187 1. My dear Friend : — For years I have been 
in the habit of speaking in our meetings for worship, feeling 
called of the Lord to do so. I do not remember ever 
having been so engaged, when to omit it would not have 



132 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



been turning away from plainly manifested duty. The dear 
Master has given me great peace, as I have thus in sincerity 
desired to do His bidding, and He has been pleased oc- 
casionally to send me special evidences, that the messages 
He has sent through me have been blessed. I d o most fully 
accept the truth, that " we are nothing, Christ is all," and 
that by His power we are to witness for Him. If in any of 
my public communications, I witness for any but Christ, 
I desire my friends will call me to account. 

So far as I know, I have given myself to the Lord, and de- 
sire to have no will but His. I desire to be so entirely in 
His hands, that He may work in. me and by me, according 
to His own good pleasure. Knowing that " all Scripture is 
given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, 
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness," 
I have found it to be my duty and pleasure, diligently to 
study and compare those Divine records, remembering 
Paul's injunction to Timothy, " Study to show thyself ap- 
proved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be 
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ,, May the 
Lord Jesus more fully reveal Himself unto us, not only as a 
perfect example, but as our atonement for sin, our over- 
coming Saviour, and our abiding Comforter. And may 
the prophecy be sweetly fulfilled to thee and to me : " The 
watchman shall lift up the voice, with the voice together 
shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye, when the 
Lord shall bring again Zion." 

And again to the same friend : 

5 mo., 19, 1874. The only office of the Holy Spirit to 
the sinner, is to reprove of sin, and point to Him whom God 
hath set forth to be a propitiation for sins that are past. 
John xvi. 8; John xiv. 17; Rom. hi. 25. 



UXDER HIS WINGS. 



133 



Then comes to the believer the blessed knowledge of a 
present salvation, which is to be received through faith. 

No repentance or sorrow of heart can purchase this gift, 
and many besides myself can testify to this truth, who have 
sorrowed and repented for years, and at the end of them, were 
as far from rejoicing in God's salvation as at the beginning, 
because they were depending on their sorrow, and on their 
repentance, instead of on Christ. 

Until there is conviction for sin, there can be no reconcilia- 
tion with God, hence in such a one there can be no trust in 
the Saviour. Until the children of Israel became aware 
that the bite of the fiery serpents was a fatal poison, they 
would not feel particularly troubled about it ; but after they 
had realized it to be certain death, no amount of sorrow 
because they were bitten, could possibly heal them ; it was 
needful for them to avail of God's appointed remedy. I do, 
however, fully believe, that there is a keener sorrow for sin 
on the part of God's forgiven children, than they ever realized 
before they had experienced His pardoning love. 

The catholicity of his spirit enabled him to realize 
the brotherhood of the Church Universal, and no 
narrow bounds of sect prevented his fellowship with 
all who loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. 

In the Union Church at Chappaqua, or in prayer- 
meetings of other denominations, as well as in the 
meetings of his own denomination, he found the same 
Lord over all. 

As President of the Newcastle Bible Society, it 
was his duty to provide the speakers for the annual 
meetings. These were chosen from the earnest 
Bible-workers of different denominations, either minis- 



134 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

ters or laymen, and were always entertained at his 
house. And in the morning and evening devotions 
the brethren of whatever name, knelt side by side, 
while prayers for strength and grace ascended to one 
common Father, through the mediation of the one 
Saviour. Yet with all this unity of feeling, he was 
firmly established in the principles of his own beloved 
Society, and was always ready to give a reason of 
the hope that was in him, so that none could doubt 
his position. And very earnest were his prayers for 
his own branch of the Christian Church, that she 
might be more earnest in promulgating the simple 
Gospel, believing that this would tend to her growth 
and prosperity. 

To use his own words: 

God in His grace has two especial gifts for us, the gift of 
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, and the privilege of 
working for Him. 

The child of God prays " Thy kingdom come," and desires 
to spread the sovereignty of Him, of whom he has become 
a joyful subject. And nothing so tends to conserve the 
religious life, as waiting upon God in active Christian work. 
In the external world where there is life, we expect to see 
motion, we look for motion as an evidence of life, and that 
motion develops the strength. So in the spiritual realm, the 
soul that is really made alive in Christ, will not only be care- 
ful to maintain good works, but it will be, as it were, the 
atmosphere on which the soul is nourished. 

This is true of the individual, and equally so of the Church. 
I use the term here, in its familiar application to an associated 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



135 



body of professed believers in the Lord. The aggressiveness 
of the religious denomination which we represent, when first 
gathered to be a distinct people, has been unparalleled since 
the pentecostal days ; but when the energy of the a Holy Ghost 
life " was lost, and the period of formalism began, then was 
inaugurated the decadence in our Church. Then was spread 
that fatal heresy, " The Lord does not design us to be a 
proselyting people," and we have been looking on with com- 
placency, and I had almost said, impiously ascribed the 
diminution of our numbers, to the will of the All-Wise Head 
of the Church. But I rejoice to know that God is baptizing 
us with the life-giving and energizing power of the Holy 
Ghost, which necessarily leads to aggressive Christian work. 

The simplicity of his reliance on the guidance of 
the Holy Spirit, opened many an avenue for useful- 
ness, unknown to those around him. The command, 
" Go speak to that young man," followed in simple 
obedience, was often the means of comfort and strength 
to the recipient. Sometimes a letter would be written 
to a distant wanderer, which called forth the touching 
response, " I did not know any one cared for me," 
and the sense of human sympathy, opened the heart 
to a realization of the greater love of the Heavenly 
Friend. 

Sitting in a meeting one morning in a neighboring 
city, he felt a message given him to a young woman 
present, a stranger to him. Singling her out at the 
close of the services, he had a long conversation with 
her. That this was a word in season is evident from 
a letter written by her soon afterwards. 



136 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



4 mo., 30, 1874. I well remember that quiet Sabbath, 
when thy sweet, comforting words fell on my ears, the great 
rest fell upon my struggling tired soul, and I knew that 
Jesus loved me. 

I was a Christian, though a rebellious one, troubled about 
many things. I could not see God's mercy or love, and 
while I asked, " What must I do ?" only performed that 
must through fear. It was dreadful, and then the revulsion 
was so great, I could not think of anything but that "Jesus 
loves me/' 

For weeks I have rested in that calm happiness, and 
though I feel 

" I am a poor sinner, and nothing at all," 

yet I hope to reach the still waters of real faith and perfect 
trust. 

But the portrait of his life will not be complete 
without drawing back the curtain and revealing him 
in his own home. 

The friend and companion of his children, cheer- 
fully acceding to every reasonable request, he main- 
tained a power over them by his own consistent life. 
Although very full of engagements, some time each 
evening was taken for a romp with the little ones, 
which generally ended in riding upstairs to bed on 
papa's shoulders. 

A valued domestic who had been in the family for 
seventeen years, gave this testimony after his death, 
that she had never heard him speak an angry word 
in that time. 

He always had a kindly greeting for those em- 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 137 

ployed by him, while his dealings with them were so 
honest and upright, as to call forth from one of them 
the assertion, that " he was the whitest gentleman he 
had ever worked for. 5 ' 

He full) 7 accepted the word of the Almighty, when 
speaking of the blessings in store for Israel, " Yet for 
all this will I be enquired of, of the house of Israel to 
do it for them," and he felt it a privilege to assemble 
his family morning by morning to seek daily strength. 
He realized the blessed truth th?t the soul may com- 
mune with its Lord in silence, yet on these occasions 
he felt the promptings of the Hoi)' Spirit to vocal 
prayer, and very blessed to parents and children 
were those seasons. To use his own words: 

No one can estimate in all their far-reaching consequences, 
the benefit to every member of the home circle, of a visible 
recognition among them of Christian faith in daily life. I 
can commend the practice of daily assembling our families 
for the purpose of waiting upon the Lord for a renewal of 
strength. As we are thus found waiting, I believe we shall 
be favored with seasons of refreshing as from His presence ; 
the spirit of supplication will be poured out upon us, and 
from the little band thus assembled in His fear and in His 
love, the voice of prayer and thanksgiving will ascend an 
acceptable offering before the Lord. 

The children whom we so dearly love will behold our 
confession of the Redeemer's name, and thus it will be easier 
for them to acknowledge Him. 

We shall not be clear before Him if we fail in this impor- 
tant point ; — " The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous 



138 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

man availeth much,'* and a blessing upon the children, and 
upon all who are in the house, will descend from the God of 
Israel, in answer to the prayer of the father or mother. And 
let us remember the mercies of the Lord are new every 
morning, and like the manna in the wilderness, must be 
sought with daily care if we would taste them in their sweet- 
ness. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

QjOME one once asked that servant of the Lord, 
John Wesley, " Supposing you knew you were 
to die at twelve o'clock to-morrow night, how r 
would you spend the intervening time?" " How, 
madam ?" he replied, "why, just as I intend to spend 
it now." 

He then gave a list of engagements already laid 
out for him, till the next evening at ten o'clock, when 
he added, " I should retire to my room, commend 
myself to my Heavenly Father, lie down to rest, and 
wake up in glory." 

Although the nearness of his approach to the 
eternal world was hidden from the subject of this 
memoir, the knowledge could scarcely have in- 
creased his service during the last Summer of his 
life. His dedication had never been more perfect, 
nor the sweetness of his spirit more manifest. 

In the early part of 7th mo., he spent a few days 
very pleasantly and very profitably at Ocean Grove, 
in attendance upon an unsectarian meeting for the 
promotion of holiness. His whole soul was in uni- 

(139) 



140 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

son with the objects of this meeting, and his inter- 
est in the proceedings was so intense, that one 
of his Philadelphia friends who w 7 as there, tried in 
vain to obtain from him some sign of recognition. 

Shortly before he left, however, they met, and after 
expressing his enjoyment of the occasion, Robert 
Murray said to her: " Go tell Dr. H. from me, to 
write a paper for the ' Friends' Review,' describing 
this blessed season, and how the Lord blesses the 
union of Christians." 

The doctrines upheld in these meetings he believed 
to be those of the Gospel, and also quite in accord- 
ance with the views promulgated by George Fox 
and his coadjutors. They fully realized the deplor- 
able condition of the unregenerate soul, described 
by the Apostle Paul in the words, " O wretched 
man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body 
of this death." But they also as fully appreciated 
the blessed truth, that the believer in Christ is made 
" free from the la-w of sin and death," and enabled 
" always to triumph in Christ Jesus." 

With the full realization of the joy with which the 
Apostle could exclaim, " There is therefore now no 
condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," 
Robt. Lindley Murray longed that others should . 
have the same experience. This rendered him more 
earnest in circulating the writings of early Friends, 
as well as the tracts and papers written by other 



UNDER HIS WINGS. j^! 

Christians. In response to some volumes he sent to 
a gentleman he met at one of these Holiness meet- 
ings, he received the following brotherly reply : 

Many thanks to you, my dear brother, for your welcome 
gift. I am indeed a believer in, and through grace, a pos- 
sessor of this precious full salvation. I have greatly rejoiced 
in the revival of this great truth among the Friends. I have 
met with very many precious members of your Society at 
our camp meetings and elsewhere, and my heart has been 
greatly drawn towards them. Truly we are all one in 
Christ Jesus. He is " all and in all." I anticipate much 
pleasure from the perusal of these volumes, and hope also 
to derive much profit from the same. 

Yours in Christ Jesus. 

Three weeks before his death he went with his 
wife to visit their friends in Massachusetts. A series 
of meetings was to be held at South Yarmouth, 
and they joined others who were going. As the 
Sabbath approached, he proposed with his charac- 
teristic humility to leave the services in the town 
to the strangers, and go himself to a little fishing 
village about a mile distant. There was no regular 
meeting held in this place, and it was necessary to 
give some information of the proposed meeting. 
Accordingly, with two or three others, he walked 
through the sand to the place, calling at the different 
houses, and inviting the inhabitants to a Bible- 
school in the morning, and a meeting in the evening. 

The Methodist meeting-house where services were 



1 42 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

occasionally held, was kindly offered for the purpose. 
The invitations were cordially received, and the next 
morning, in a pouring rain, a little band started to at- 
tend the Bible-school. Notwithstanding the storm, 
quite a company had gathered, and his simple teach- 
ing of the life of faith, called forth a touching response 
from a gentleman present, who stated that in the loss 
of a darling son, he had found his Saviour able to sus- 
tain, but that he had long wished to know the secret 
of support under the minor trials and vexations of 
life. He was thankful for the lesson he had that day 
learned, of the keeping power of an abiding Saviour. 

At the appointed hour in the evening the house 
was filled, and powerfully did the Holy Spirit enable 
this devoted servant to portray the character of his 
Master. As one who knew whom he believed, he 
exalted the Lord Jesus as the Redeemer and Leader 
of His people, and his prayer for a blessing on the 
gathered assembly brought tears to many eyes. At 
the close of the meeting a cordial farewell was ex- 
tended, and the laborer went on his way, those who 
then so lovingly bade him, " God-speed, ,? little think- 
ing that a fortnight longer was all the time allotted 
to him for service on the earth. 

[The remainder of the visit is well described by a 
beloved fellow-laborer in a letter at the close of this 
volume],. 

On his return to New Bedford he was a partici- 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 1 43 

pant in a pleasant picnic 'of the Friends' Sabbath- 
school, held in the lovely grounds of a gentleman's 
i~esidence on the sea-shore. It was a charming day, 
the sea breezes playing through the trees, and the 
waves leaping up in the sunshine, while the groups 
of happy children, playing on the lawn, added to the 
brightness of the scene. 

Entering with his accustomed zest into the pleas- 
ure of the day, he joined the children in their sports, 
or held converse with the older persons present, till 
the hour came for separation. The children then 
gathered around him, while he spoke briefly and ear- 
nestly of the joyous occasion, but of the brevity and 
uncertainty of all earthly things. In the course of 
his remarks he related the following incident: 

A lady, the belle of the season, at a watering-place in Eng- 
land, young, beautiful, admired, surrounded by all that the 
world can give to make life bright, was yet oppressed by a 
sense of the fleeting nature of all its pleasures ; that soon she 
would have passed away, and another would fill her place. 
On her return from a ball one night she wrote on the win- 
dow-pane with the diamond of her ring : 

" To think of Summers yet to come 
That I shall never see ; 
To think a flower is yet to bloom 
Of dust that I shall be." 

The next year a Christian lady occupied the room. She 
read the lines upon the window-pane, sent for a diamond 
and wrote under them the following : 



144 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

" To think when heaven and earth are fled, 

And times and seasons o'er, 
When all that can die shall be dead, 

That I shall die no more. 
O, where shall then my portion be, 

Where shall I spend eternity ?" 

Turning the minds of the children from death to 
life everlasting, he closed with the desire that every 
one of that company might meet again in the better 
and brighter world above. 

While he was thus speaking the thought crossed 
the mind of one of his audience, " Why does he speak 
of death, he is the embodiment of life ?" It was, how- 
ever, his last farewell to those whom he had often 
endeavored to lead to the Saviour, and it was fitting, 
that on the threshold ol the eternal world, he should 
dwell on the glorious truth, that life and immortality 
were brought to light by the Gospel. He next at- 
tended Smithfield Quarterly Meeting held at Bolton, 
in the interior of Massachusetts. This visit is thus 
described by a friend with whom he had been inti- 
mately connected, but whom he had not met for 
some years : 

I cannot tell what a glad feeling it gave me, when on sit- 
ting down in my accustomed place in the old meeting-house 
at Bolton, I looked up and saw Robert Lindley sitting at the 
head of the meeting. And his ministry afterwards came to 
me with a wonderful refreshing. I was sitting there for the 
first time in nine years, with so many about me that I knew 
and loved, but, oh, with a so much greater company about 



UXDER HIS WINGS. 



H5 



me, of those who had gone on before to the general assem- 
bly, and with my heart in such a tender mood, thinking of 
all the past and all the living and the dead — his words came 
to me with a peculiar force and fitness. I felt thankful for 
it then, I feel more than ever thankful for it now. My sister 
said to me, when we were speaking of him, and how good 
and truly inspired he seemed, " Did thou see his face during 
his prayer? It was beautiful;" and soon after hearing of 
his death, she wrote to me, and referred to it again, saying, 
" It seemed to her as though he must have seen the Heavenly 
Gates opening for him, and the light was streaming down 
upon him !" 

A few days at Lynn, and the attendance of Salem 
Quarterly Meeting, finished the visit, and the trav- 
elers' steps were turned towards the home soon to 
be his no longer. 

As he knelt with his wife in their stateroom on the 
night of their return, the Holy Spirit prompted a 
prayer, seeming strange at the time, but the reason 
why was soon revealed. After returning thanks for 
the pleasant journey, and the opportunities which 
had been afforded of service for the Lord, the prayer 
arose for continued strength for the burdens of life 
that might await them, " heavier perchance than they 
had ever known." A cloud seemed to hang before 
them, and like the disciples of old, they "feared when 
they entered in," but with the prayer that 

" He who had helped them hitherto 
Would help them all their journey through/' 

this care too was cast Upon the Lord, 
7 



146 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

A week was spent at home in the pursuit of daily 
duties, while in the hours of relaxation his garden 
occupied his attention. On being expostulated with, 
for remaining out so late in the evening, he said with 
a sweet smile, "I wanted you to have plenty of straw- 
berries next Summer." As this was his favorite fruit, 
the use of the pronoun you, excited some surprise, 
but nothing further was said. 

The last Sabbath of his life came, and in his own 
meeting in the morning, the Holy Spirit enabled him 
to speak with so much power, as to induce the remark 
from one Friend to another after the meeting, " How 
Robert Lindley grows ! what will he be when he is 
fully ripe ?" The prophetic answer came all uncon- 
sciously to her who made it: " He may be more 
fully matured than we are aware of." 

In the evening meeting of the Union Church at 
Chappaqua, he read the latter part of the tenth chap- 
ter of Luke, and commented upon it at greater length 
than usual. The restoring love of God in Christ 
Jesus was always his favorite theme, and this night 
he seemed full of his subject. Briefly attending to 
the attendant circumstances, he portrayed with 
much feeling the wretched condition of the lonely 
traveler, attacked by thieves in that wild road, and 
lying in the highway, " sick and wounded, and ready 
to die." 

The priest and Levite going to or from their duties 



UXDER HIS I FZXCS, 1 47 

at Jerusalem, would naturally pass that way, and it 
was their peculiar office to care for such helpless 
cases as he. The law strictly requiring that if even 
an ox or an ass fell by the wayside, and needed 
assistance, it should be rendered ; much more then 
should the distress of a human being be relieved. 
But they drew their robes about them with the feel- 
ing, " I am holier than thou," and went by on the 
other side. They even came and looked upon the 
distress, but no feeling of pity moved them to stop. 
Perhaps they were in haste to attend to their duties 
in the Temple, not realizing that assistance to the 
forlorn and desolate is more acceptable service than 
the most strict attention to formal rites of religion. 

The comparison was then drawn between man in 
the world without Christ, and this wounded sufferer. 
As the highwaymen waited in this rocky pass to rob 
the passers-by, so does the great enemy of souls lie 
in wait to entrap the heedless traveler on life's 
journey. Wearied and sick of sin, yet utterly unable 
to deliver himself from the burden or the thraldom, 
his case is fitly represented by the wounded traveler 
in the parable. The professor of religion, whose duty 
'it is to point out the remedy, is too often ready to 
shrink from the lost and fallen specimens of hu- 
manity, and pass by on the other side. And in his 
utter helplessness there seems no way of relief, no 
hope for the wretched slave of Satan. But "thank 



148 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

God, there is a remedy/' and the face of the speaker 
lighted up as he unfolded the love that prompted 
the Lord Jesus to come down to the most forlorn, 
that He might lift them up. Not waiting till they 
were able to come to Him, but like the good 
Samaritan going to the wounded, binding up his 
wounds, and carrying him Himself to a place of 
refuge. And even this was not all ; not content with 
taking him from his deplorable state, He provided 
also for his future wants. 

The all-sufficiency of the Saviour's love was then 
impressively dwelt upon, and warming with his 
theme, the minister spoke of his own private ex- 
perience of this Saviour's love. It was very unu- 
sual for him to speak of himself in his ministrations, 
but in this last opportunity of witnessing for his 
Lord, he magnified his Master as one who never 
disappoints the trust of His children. He exalted 
Jesus as his support in the past, and his trust for 
the future, and his face beamed with love, as he 
closed his remarks, by repeating the following lines, 
as the expression of his own feelings : 

' ' I left it all with Jesus 
Long ago ; 
All my sin I brought Him, 

And my woe. 
When by faith I saw Him 

On the tree, 
Heard His still, small whisper, 
' "lis for thee,' 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 1 49 

From my heart the burden 

Rolled away. 
Happy day ! 

%k I leave it all with Jesus, 

For He knows 
How to steal the bitter 

From life's woes ; 
How to gild the tear-drop 

With His smile, 
Make the desert garden 

Bloom awhile. 
When my weakness leaneth 

On His might 

All seems light. 

" I leave it all with Jesus 

Day by day ; 
Faith can firmly trust Him, 

Come what may. 
Hope has dropped her anchor, 

Found her rest 
In the calm, sure haven 

Of His breast ; 
Love esteems it heaven 

To abide 

At His side. 

" Oh, leave it all with Jesus, 

Drooping soul ; 
Tell not half thy story, 

But the whole. 
Worlds on worlds are waiting 

On His hand ; 
Life and death are waiting 

His command ; 
Yet His tender bosom 

Makes thee room ; 

O come home ! " 



150 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

The touching pathos with which the last verse 
was repeated is indescribable, and he looked round 
upon the audience, as if he would fain draw them all 
to the same blessed Saviour, that they too might 
know of the great rest an entire self-surrender 
induces. Never more were his words to be heard in 
that assembly ; and commending them, with himself, 
to the keeping of a covenant God, they parted till 
the day of the great gathering before the Lord shall 
reveal who are His children. 

A peculiar joyousness marked the last day of his 
life ; nothing seemed to be a burden, and on his return 
from the city in the evening, his light, springing step 
echoed through the house as with the buoyancy of 
youth. It was necessary to attend a business meeting 
of the officers of the Newcastle Bible Society, about 
four miles from his house, and his coadjutors remarked 
after the meeting was over, " How very bright and 
animated Robert Lindley was to-night." He returned 
home in safety, and as he drove in at the gate, those 
who were waiting for him, heard him singing a hymn 
as he passed the house on his way to the stable. His 
voice came out with a joyous ring, as he called his 
man to take the horse ; but in a moment he was lying 
on the ground with his right limb broken. Forget- 
ting that he was driving a young horse, he threw 
down the lines before the man reached him. The 
horse started to run to the stable, throwing him with 



UNDER HIS WINGS. I 5 1 

violence to the ground, and dragging him some 
distance. 

When assistance reached him he was perfectly calm 
and collected, giving directions what was to be done, 
and trying to relieve the fears of his wife, by assuring 
her that he was not seriously injured ; " Only my leg 
broken," he said quietly. He thought of everything 
that was necessary, and seemed to be the most helpful 
one of the company. He was carried to the house, 
and the surgeons arriving soon afterwards, set the limb 
temporarily and left him in comparative comfort. 

After all was done that could be, and the family 
had retired, his wife remembering the remarks of the 
previous night, asked him " if he could cast this care 
upon Jesus." He answered with a bright smile, " Oh, 
yes ; all of it." He then said that all the time the 
doctors were setting the limb, this verse had been in 
his mind : 

" In God I have found a retreat, 
Where I can securely abide, 
No refuge nor rest so complete, 
And here I intend to abide. 

O, what comfort it brings, 
As my soul sweetly sings, 
I am safe from all danger, 
When under His wings. 

There was no sleep for him that night, for a severe 
pain soon came on in his back, increasing as the day 



I52 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

approached ; but there was no murmuring or com- 
plaining. It was a night of precious communion, 
though nothing foretold that it was to be the last. 
Once his wife saw his eyes fixed upon her with such a 
look of earnest love, yet with a wistful expression that 
made her ask if he wanted to say anything. He said 
" No/ 7 and closed his eyes for a while, but uncon- 
sciously to both, it was his last farewell. The severity 
of the pain increased to agony, was somewhat relieved 
after the surgeon's second visit, when the limb was 
firmly set, and he was placed in as comfortable a posi- 
tion as possible. " Now, sir," said the doctor, " can you 
be patient, and lie still for six weeks ?" " Oh, yes," was 
the quiet reply ; " as long as it is necessary ; " but the 
Great Physician had other views, and instead of the 
long, tedious confinement, the golden gates were even 
then opening to receive his freed spirit. After the 
doctor left, he fell into a quiet sleep, which rejoiced 
the hearts of those who had watched with him through 
that suffering night and day. Later in the evening, 
as his son wished some needful attention to business, 
he was aroused, but with difficulty. It seemed hard 
to make him understand what was wanted, but at last 
he tried to affix his name to achecque. It was a poor 
substitute for the clear, firm hand in which he gener- 
ally wrote, and utterly useless ; but he was so drowsy 
it was concluded to wait till morning. No anxiety 
was felt, however ; the previous night of wakefulness 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 1 53 

and suffering seemed sufficient reason for the stupor. 
As his son turned away, the father roused up a little, 
saying, " It is all right, Rob." It was well that mes- 
sage was given; his last words to those who so soon 
found it very hard to realize that what seemed so 
wrong to human feeling, could be all right with 
God. 

About midnight, convulsions came on, and though 
he lingered for four days longer, there was no mark 
of intelligence. The strong frame was racked with 
frequent convulsions, agonizing to those who wit- 
nessed them, but he was mercifully spared all con- 
sciousness of the suffering. Without the pain of 
parting from his loved ones, or the thought of leaving 
them alone in the world, the spirit released from the 
trammels of flesh, was ushered into the presence of 
his Lord, scarcely knowing how he came there. And 
yet those who went with him to the brink of the river, 
could almost hear the rapturous cry, "Rabboni," 
when bending before Him whom he had so loved on 
earth, all the desires of his soul were satisfied in the 
fulness of the Lord. 

As one of his friends expressed it, " Just think what 
it must have been for him to see his Saviour face to 
face ; just think of the fulness of his joy. He so fully 
confessed his Lord before men, and now he has 
received the fulfillment of the promise of being him- 
self acknowledged before His Father and the Holy 
7* 



!54 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

Angel. How sweet to be ushered into heaven as the 
friend of the Lord Jesus, redeemed by His blood, and 
kept by His mighty power/' 

Thus in the prime of life, in the midst of his use- 
fulness, and from a position in his family and in the 
church in which he seemed to be so necessary, he was 
suddenly snatched away. Dark was the dispensation 
to human eye, but faith answers, u The Lord had need 
of him." The earthly work, seemingly incomplete, 
was finished for him, and he was needed in the ranks 
of those who are u before the Throne of God, and 
serve Him day and night in His temple. " Blessed 
service ! no longer intermingled with anxiety or sor- 
row, for " the Lamb shall feed them, and shall lead 
them unto living fountains of waters, and God him- 
self shall wipe away all tears from their eyes/' And 
from none in that happy company will the anthem 
of praise ascend with more perfect realization of its 
force, than from him whose life we have thus followed 
from childhood to maturity. The song learned on 
earth, swells to a fuller chorus now : " Worthy is the 
Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, 
and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and 
blessing. For thou hast redeemed us unto God by 
thy blood." 

" Servant of God, well done ! 

Rest from thy loved employ ! 
The battle fought, the victory won, 
Enter thy Master's joy. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 

" At midnight came the cry, 

' To meet thy God prepare ! ' 
He woke and caught his Captain's eye, 
Then strong in faith and prayer, 

" His spirit with a bound 

Left its encumbering clay ; 
His tent, at sunrise, on the ground, 
A darkened ruin lay. 

" The pains of death are past, 
Labor and sorrow cease ; 
And life's long welfare closed at last, 
His soul is found in peace. 

" Soldier of Christ, well done ! 
Praise be thy new employ ; 
And while eternal ages run, 
Rest in thy Saviour's joy. " 



155 



CHAPTER IX. 

A TRIBUTE TO HIS MEMORY BY ONE WHO KNEW 
AND LOVED HIM. 

TO a stranger it would be difficult to convey a fair esti- 
mate of Robert Lindley Murray's character without a 
complete record of his life. We meet so rarely with such a 
combination of almost perfect gentleness and amiability 
of temper, with such a resolute firmness of purpose — such 
graceful Christian courtesy in stating, or yielding his own 
opinions, with such a fearless independence in forming them 
— such a quiet and unfeigned humility of manner, with so 
much dignity and self-possession, that it would seem to re- 
quire a personal knowledge of the man, or a faithful descrip- 
tion of his daily life to do him justice, or to appear not to 
overdraw the picture. 

Although my acquaintance with Robert Lindley first com- 
menced at Haverford College, in our early manhood, yet as he 
was in an advanced class, I saw but little of him there ; and he 
left that institution two years before I did, to enter on the 
duties of active life. Living from that time in different cities 
and States, our paths seemed to diverge so widely, that I could 
contribute little of interest in regard to him, from personal 
knowledge, until we were again brought together in the 
work of the Lord, at a General Meeting at Cornwall, New 
York, in the Autumn of 1873. 

There, his loving welcome of an old schoolmate, to the 
new field of service into which I had been called, I shall 
never forget ; how he threw- his arm around me, and walked 

(156) 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 1 57 

two miles with me, one evening at the close of the meetings, 
telling me that he had thanked God, and taken courage in 
view of the gift in the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour, which 
w T as first conferred on me there. Nor less warmly cherished 
are his faithful, though loving, admonitions, given with such 
tenderness and consideration that they never offended, and 
yet never failed of their due influence and impression on 
my mind. 

I met him afterwards at the Poughkeepsie General Meet- 
ing in the Winter, and at the Yearly Meeting at Rochester 
in the following Spring, 1873, and always pleasantly and prof- 
itably to myself. His closing prayer of thanksgiving to the 
Master of Assemblies for His manifested presence and power 
on that last occasion, with a fervent petition for the Lord's 
continued care over His own Church, and every member of 
it, seemed to me at the time very solemn and impressive. 

At the Newport General Meeting that Summer, I again 
saw Robert Lindley, and was much struck with a circum- 
stance that occurred there, showing his soundness and clear- 
ness of judgment as to Christian doctrines, and yet the 
blessed experience he enjoyed of the Lord's love and com- 
munion. 

Some one had spoken at length on the text, " Son, remem- 
ber that thou in thy lifetime hadst thy good things," etc., 
and had been led to a solemn consideration of the reality of 
the Eternal Judgment of the wicked, and of all those who 
neglected the great salvation provided for us here ; together 
with a presentation of the evident truth that in that dark 
world of endless woe, the reason would be vital and active, 
and the memory vivid and eternal ; and that the keenest 
pang the lost soul would feel in that world, might be a recol- 
lection of the mercies, and the warnings, and the invitations 
it had rejected or neglected in this. 

At the conclusion, Robert Murray arose with a full ac- 



158 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

knowledgment of the Scriptural truth of everlasting rewards 
and punishments hereafter, and an endorsement of what had 
been presented in connection with the text quoted ; and then, 
as if to harmonize, so far as possible, all difference of opinion 
or expression, he turned the subject to his own overflowing 
testimony for time and eternity to the Saviour's wondrous 
love for himself, closing aptly with the well-known verse : 

" Oh, if there's only one song I can sing, 
When in His beauty I see the great King ; 
This shall my song through Eternity be, 
Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me." 

The following Winter he was in Philadelphia, and I was 
present at a meeting at which he preached most solemnly 
from this very text ; wisely bringing forth out of his treas- 
ury, to illustrate it, things new and old. 

I am more careful to preserve this record, because it bears 
witness at once to his own loving experience, and yet ta his 
inflexible adherence to the unalterable truths of Divine Rev- 
elation ; at a time, too, when many professed ministers of the 
Lord Jesus seem to shrink from a declaration of His solemn 
warnings to all those who reject the free invitations of His 
glorious Gospel. 

During this visit to Philadelphia, I also met him at my 
brother's house in Germantown, where a small company 
of friends were gathered, and the evening closed with a 
season of prayer. R. L. Murray read with great feeling 
the Fifty-first Psalm, expounding it as an agonizing cry for 
pardon from the guilt and deliverance from the power of 
grievous sin, going up from the heart of one of the Lord's 
backsliding children, who had once known the joys of His 
salvation and the presence of His Holy Spirit. 

He very clearly explained how the Psalmist found it im- 
possible, without a full restoration of these, either to find 



UNDER HIS WINGS. 



159 



peace himself or to do anything towards the instruction of 
transgressors or the conversion of sinners, and therefore, not 
only for his own sake, but for the sake of others, he cried 
out, " Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right 
spirit within me." " Restore unto me the joys of thy salva- 
tion, and uphold me with thy free spirit." 

He then turned to the closing verse of the 56th Psalm, 
where David praises the Lord for " delivering his soul 
from death," and besought Him u also to deliver his feet 
from falling, that he might walk before the Lord in the light 
of the living." 

Passing from this stage of the Psalmist's experience to his 
happy realization of the keeping power he had so ardently 
longed for, our attention was then called to his loving and 
triumphant song of praise in the 116th Psalm : " I love the 
Lord because He hath heard my voice and my supplication. 

Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord 

hath dealt bountifully with thee. For Thou hast delivered 
my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from 
falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the 
living." 

It would not be possible at this time to recall in detail 
the instructive lesson Robert Lindley drew from these 
touching and beautiful passages; but in his gentle and per- 
suasive manner, he sought to impress upon those around 
him, that as David realized the power of the Lord, so to 
keep his " feet from falling," that he walked before Him " in 
the light of the living," it was equally possible for every re- 
deemed child of God now, by the grace and keeping power 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, to " walk in the light as He is in 
the light," and to know that His precious blood continually 
" cleanseth him from all sin." 

At the Yearly Meeting held at New York in the Spring 
of 1874, over which, for the last time, Robert Murray pre- 



l6o UNDER HIS WINGS. 

sided as Clerk (and at which the important subject of the 
alteration of the Queries was disposed of,) I was especially 
impressed by his wise and gentle guidance of its various de- 
liberations, to a satisfactory conclusion. He would more 
than once softly remind those assembled, that they were 
considering the interests of the Lord's Church ; and would 
urge upon all a prayerful, reverent, and conciliatory spirit in 
their discussion. 

About this time, as he told me himself a few weeks after- 
wards, his faith was greatly strengthened by an act of simple 
obedience to what seemed to be a very small duty. Some 
one at a distance not considering, as he thought, his constant 
engagements, had written to ask him to make a selection 
of tracts and little books for a neighboring Sabbath-school. 
When he opened the letter, his first impulse was to hand it 
to his clerk to reply in his behalf, that it was impossible for 
him to attend to its request, owing to the pressure of so 
many engagements, exclaiming aloud, ci Why, of all others in 
the city, should they have sent this to me ? " When, all at 
once, he said, a soft answer, as from the Lord Himself, came 
lovingly through His heart, " It is My service, do it for My 
sake." He immediately left his office, went to the several 
tract repositories, and spent hours in the careful selection 
of such publications, as from his knowledge of the neigh- 
borhood, he thought would be most appropriate to its 
wants; and he told me that in no service of his life, small 
or great, had he ever a more sweet and overflowing sense of 
his Saviour's presence and peace, than while engaged in this 
work. And from that time he would never consider 
whether the service presenting were a small or great one, 
but only whether it was really for the Lord ; feeling sure 
that if it were so, its cheerful performance would be accept- 
able in His sight. 

As our dear brother passed so soon afterwards from all 



UNDER HIS WINGS. l6l 

earthly work to his everlasting reward, I have thought per- 
haps that he was taught that sweet lesson for the sake of 
others who might read this simple record, now that he 
is gone. 

I come now to the saddest, and yet to me the most inter- 
esting recollections of my dear friend. I remember how 
kindly he consented to join us in some proposed meetings 
at Yarmouth ; and how pleasantly he did so, his self-denying 
efforts in personally calling together the neighboring families 
to a meeting'in the little church at South Dennis, (which we 
afterward heard was a season of especial favor) and the 
solemn closing meeting the next day at South Yarmouth. 
Then came, in the afternoon, that hot, dusty ride, in cars, 
crowded to overflowing with visitors to the camp-meeting at 
Hyannis ; and I shall never forget his patience with the 
conductor, who wrongfully refused our excursion tickets, 
and obliged us to pay fare both ways ; nor how he took two 
little children on his knees, who were wearily standing in 
the aisle ; and the next minute gracefully gave up his own 
seat to a poor old woman for whom there was no other pro- 
vision. 

The last view I ever had of him living, was thus standing 
in her place, as the trains separated us for different fields of 
service. 

A fortnight had not elapsed before a telegram brought us 
the sad tidings of the fatal accident, and of Robert Murray's 
extreme danger. We were about to commence, in company 
with a friend from Maine, who had been with us, a 
series of meetings at Allen's Neck, (Mass.,) when the news 
reached us ; and I remember how at New Bedford Meet- 
ing, where only three weeks before he had been with us, 
there were few dry eyes, as I alluded to the possibility 
of our great loss, in considering the text, " Here we have 
no continuing city, but we seek one to come." 



1 62 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

On the last day of the week at Allen's Neck, we remained 
near the meeting-house at the close of the afternoon session in 
company with our friend H. W., awaiting the evening meet- 
ing ; and taking our bibles, went over to the graveyard 
adjoining, to speak and to read about that happy land where 
our beloved brother was so soon to enter. 

It was a glorious sunset; and the golden clouds hung over 
the western heavens, like the portals of the bright world to 
come. We read aloud, verse by verse alternately, parts of 
the 4th, 5th, 7th, 2 1 st, and 22d chapters of Revelations, con- 
taining a description of the Heavenly City ; its walls of 
jasper, its gates of pearl, and its golden streets — and of its 
innumerable multitudes singing their everlasting song of 
praise to the Lord God and the Lamb. 

" Perhaps he is just now entering those radiant gates," I 
said aloud ; " perhaps to-night he will join those endless 
praises." It was even so ; we learned the next morning by a 
telegram that he had passed away at about that time, and we 
hastened to pay the last tribute of love and respect to his 
memory. 

I will not attempt, nor is it needful to describe that funeral 
— the stricken home-circle, the mourning friends, the people 
of the neighborhood so lately called together at his invita- 
tion for spiritual improvement, now gathered around his 
grave. We told them that we sorrowed not as those who 
had no hope, because we believed that " if Jesus died and 
rose again, them also which slept in Jesus would God bring 
with Him ; " and that our dear brother " was not dead, but 
sleeping," — asleep in Jesus. 

The beautiful hymn of Bishop Heber came so freshly 
before me, that I could not but repeat a portion of it : 

" Thou art gone to the grave, but we will not deplore thee, 
Though sorrow and darkness encompass the tomb, 
Thy Saviour hath passed thro' its portals before thee, 
And the light of His love was thy guide thro' the gloom. 



UNDER HIS WINGS. i6$ 

"Thou art gone to the grave, but we may not deplore thee, 
Since Jesus hath walked thro' its shade by thy side, 
He gave thee, He took thee, and He will restore thee, 
And Death hath no sting since the Saviour hath died." 

T. K., Jr. 



COMFORT YE. 

Night and morning we implore 

Him who mourns with your distress, 
Mercies on your head to pour, 

And upon the fatherless. 
Him who binds the broken heart 

To sustain His stricken one, 
And ability impart, 

Still to say, '' Thy will be done/' 
Him who bore away our sin 

To the darkness of the tomb, 
To let the floods of glory in 

On the prison of your gloom. 



Who our loss our grief shall tell ? 

Who can measure our dismay ? 
A great man in Israel, 

Fallen in our midst to-day. 
That Thy heritage may know 

Thou wilt never leave it faint, 
Double portion, Lord, bestow 

Of the spirit ol thy saint. 
Glad and pure it was, for so 

In Thy inmost light he stood, 
Strong to grasp, and clear to show, 

The salvation of Thy blood. 

Call not brief his working day, 
'T was from early morn begun, 

u Yea," celestial warrior say, 

" Come to early rest, well done ! " 



I64 UNDER HIS WINGS. 

Doubt looks downward with a sigh 

On his life-task incomplete, 
Faith beholds a work on high, 

For perfected spirits meet. 
Sweet, unknown, important, best^ 

For which earthly toils prepare, 
There his service is his rest, 

God had need of him e'en there. 

Weeping eyes are not too dim 

To discern his homeward flight, 
Up, through ranks of seraphim, 

Into realms of starry light. 
Hark ! that welcome ! Lo ! that crown ! 

Oh ! that place of deep repose ! 
Where the Saviour meets His own, 

'T would repay a thousand throes. 
The beloved disciple's love 

Our lamented one hath shown, 
And on Jesus' breast above 

He shall rest with sweet St. John. 

Blessed Author of his faith, 

Broken praise to Thee we bring, 
For his peace in pain and death, 

u In the shadow of Thy wing.'' 
Through the anguish of farewell, 

Oh, in deathless memory, 
May his last injunction dwell, 

" All our care to cast on Thee/' 

L. T. L. 






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